Let the future unfold
by usagi1009
Summary: Ichigo and Rukia date after the Aizen battle but have an amicable break-up and go their separate ways. The future holds many new developments as they meet again and grow into their own. IchiRuki, multi-chapter fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! This is my second multi-chapter fanfic. Hope you guys like it :).

Note: In this story Ichigo never lost his powers after the Aizen battle.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Let the future unfold**

**-World of the Living-**

Twenty-two year old Ichigo walked at downtown Tokyo hand in hand with his girlfriend Rin. He was now a literature teacher at a prominent high school. He had met Rin in college and they had been dating for three years. Rin was a pretty and docile girl. She had wavy, long brown hair, big brown eyes, and was short and petite.

"Aww hi there!" Rin said to a little girl walking past with her mom who was waving and giving her a cheesy smile.

Ichigo waved and smiled as well. He then noticed the little girl carrying a bunny backpack on her shoulders. It triggered a glimpse from the past…

****Flashback****

Ichigo had just graduated from high school. He sat at a park bench with Rukia in her shinigami form. The sun was setting…

"Well we can't say we didn't give it a try." She said looking at the small lake in front of them.

"Yeah." He said looking at the lake as well. "It was a crazy two years." He said turning to see her.

She smiled thinking about their two-year relationship. "You can't say you didn't enjoy them though." She said winking at him.

They smiled at each other grateful for the time they spent together. Sadly, things didn't work out between them. Maybe they were too different, or maybe they were never meant to be, but before things got to the point of no return, they decided to call it quits, thus, keeping their friendship bond intact.

"It's getting late and I should probably head back." She said standing up.

"Yeah." He got up as well.

He closed the gap between them and they hugged goodbye. She then looked up to see his expressive brown eyes, they held no regrets. She tangled her hands in his hair and brought him close enough to graze her lips with his. He leaned closer to give her a proper kiss goodbye.

They broke the kiss and she proceeded to open up the senkaimon.

"Later, Ichigo." She said turning to see him one last time.

"See you around, shinigami." He said. And so she left without turning back.

****end of flashback****

"Ichigo?" Rin said for the third time.

He looked down towards the gentle voice. "Sorry I got caught up in my thoughts." He said smiling.

"I can see that. I was saying that your dad would go crazy if he had such a cute granddaughter." Rin said referring to the little girl from before.

"Yeah that old man is crazy, but don't let him get to you, you know by now he has a tendency to always joke about inappropriate things." Ichigo said furrowing his eyebrows at the thought of his father.

She just nodded. The truth was that she was hoping Ichigo would propose to her soon. They had been dating for three years after all. She had always had many suitors, but when she met Ichigo it was as if she had been hit by love at first sight, and the more she got to know him the more she liked him. Maybe she liked him because he was different than the rest. He wasn't pushy like the others. In fact, she was the one to make the first move.

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><p><strong>-Soul Society-<strong>

Rukia was in her office. In the four years since returning from the world of the living she applied herself to be what she always aimed to be, stronger. She felt that after spending all those years with Ichigo in his world she neglected who she truly was, and so she trained hard and gave it her all to become the best shinigami she could be.

She got her wish when she achieved Bankai recently and was able to become Ukitake's fuku-taichou.

"Rukia-chan, you can finish the rest of the paperwork tomorrow, it's not due until the end of the week anyway." Ukitake said from across the room as he prepared to leave the office.

"I'd rather finish this today Ukitake-taichou. If I get this out of the way today I will have more time to train with the rest of the division later in the week." She said and continued to work on her paperwork.

"Ok, well good night then. I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled and stepped out of the office. He couldn't have gotten a more focused and applied subordinate. Given his illness she sometimes took charge of many of his duties. Thinking back on the Rukia from the past she had actually changed a great deal in the past four years. She was completely absorbed in her shinigami duties and left little time to socialize. Ukitake knew that she had never been good at making friends but she was starting to follow too much into her brother's footsteps.

Two hours later the door creaked open. Rukia looked up to see Kain walking towards her desk. He was a very handsome man, tall, lean, with black hair and expressive black eyes.

"Kain, what are you doing here?" She said a bit surprised to see him there.

"You were supposed to be back at the mansion an hour ago to have dinner with your brother and me." He said walking behind her and rubbing her shoulders. She closed her eyes to enjoy the gentle touch.

"I should be done in five minutes; I just have to finish up." Rukia said as she continued to write and scan through the paperwork some more. Kain rolled his eyes.

He looked around the office while she finished up. He was from a highly respected noble family. He grew up with Byakuya and they were best friends but lost touch once Byakuya became captain of his own division. Although Kain was powerful enough to be in the Gotei 13, he was never really interested in all the politics involved in it. He didn't like having to respond to anyone and actually really enjoyed the privileges that came with being a noble.

****Kuchiki Mansion****

"I didn't think you would actually succeed in prying my sister off her desk Kain." Byakuya said sipping on his tea.

"I wouldn't have but she was basically done with her paperwork by the time I got to her office." Kain said smiling.

"You're already done with this week's report? I have to congratulate you Rukia, I am very proud of your work ethic. If only I had a fuku-taichou as competent as you." Byakuya said recalling his red-haired fuku-taichou.

"Thank you, nii-sama." Rukia said to her brother and continued eating gracefully. Since her return to Soul Society, Byakuya had been greatly pleased with his sister, so much that he was more eloquent and open towards her.

The three nobles continued eating quietly.

"Kuchiki-sama your bath is ready." A servant announced.

"Thank you, I shall be there shortly." Rukia said. She excused herself and proceeded to go take a bath.

"Your sister has become a wonderful woman Byakuya." Kain said.

"Yes. I am very pleased that she is back in the correct path. For some time I was afraid she might have lost her way for good." Byakuya admitted to his friend.

"Are you referring to the time she spent with that human?" Kain said with a serious face. "You did well in letting her see for herself that she did not belong anywhere but here. That boy could have never made a woman like her happy anyway. She has always been strong enough to stand on her own and needs a man who can see that." He said.

"And who shall that be?" Byakuya said arching his eyebrow knowing where this was going. "Or are you to tell me that you suddenly missed me and decided to finally rekindle our friendship?" The noble man asked.

"Truthfully speaking I'm happy that we have become close friends once again, but since I met your sister I haven't been able to get her out of my mind. I truly wish she had more time for us to get to know each other but I'm confident that things between us _will_ evolve. My intentions extend to the point of us having a future together." He said with a smile.

"I see." Byakuya said calmly. He had no objections towards the noble man.

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><p>So there's chapter 1. Please review to let me know how I did =D<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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><p><strong>-World of the living—<strong>

Chad, Ishida, Keigo, Mizuiro and Ichigo sat at a bar in Tokyo.

"So it looks like we actually _all_ made it." Mizuiro said looking around the table.

"Some of us are still in school while others have full-time jobs. We're bound to not be able to hang out as often." Ishida stated as he sipped on a martini.

"Must be nice to have a condo in such a nice area in Tokyo, anything you can possibly think of is around here!" Keigo said to Ichigo.

"Yea it's alright." Ichigo said with a slight smirk.

"How's the girlfriend?" Chad asked.

"She's fine as always. She's kind of perfect." Ichigo said unenthusiastically as he swirled around his drink.

"You sure don't make it sound like it's a good thing." Mizuiro said with a half smile.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing it just gets kind of boring sometimes…" Ichigo said truthfully. He had known these guys for so many years now that keeping any kind of secret to himself was usually useless.

"That's what happens when you become an adult Ichigo." Ishida said as he finished off his martini.

"I guess it's to be expected. After dating Rukia for two years and being through everything you guys went through your average life might not hold a candle to the old times." Mizuiro said as Ichigo started coughing on his drink.

"Who the hell said this has anything to do with Rukia? Besides, that happened years ago." Ichigo retorted as his scowl made its way to his face.

"But seriously, it was unreal when you guys broke up! I never thought I'd see the day." Keigo said full of emotion.

"They fought like crazy at the end so it was bound to happen." Chad said and took a sip of his beer.

"When did my love life become the main topic of discussion?" Ichigo said irritated.

"Who else is there to talk about? We all know Ishida is whipped on Orihime, Keigo is never getting a girlfriend, Chad is _maybe_ later getting a girlfriend, and I'm never going to settle down." Mizuiro said smoothly as he threw some chips in his mouth.

"On that topic, how did the proposal go?" Keigo asked Ishida.

"Naturally she said yes." Ishida said slightly blushing, "But we won't get married until I'm done with medical school."

"Congratulations man!" Ichigo said genuinely happy for his friend.

"When are _you_ popping the question? You've been dating Rin for three years."Mizuiro asked.

"I don't know…I kind of like the way things are now." Ichigo said looking away from the table.

"Seriously? Rin is beautiful, she loves you, and she's been waiting around for you to finally take the next step. Whatever it is that is possibly holding you back is a mystery to me." Keigo said.

Ichigo didn't respond. He simply didn't have the answer to those questions either, questions that bugged him every day, and when he thought about them got him nowhere. Rin _was_ beautiful, she had everything any man could ask for.

It was cruel when he thought about it but the truth deep within his heart was that he strung her along because she was the closest he was going to get to _loving_ someone, he just didn't dare accept that even to himself. So he went on pretending to have the perfect job, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect _life_.

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><p><strong>-Soul Society-<strong>

Rukia trained with the squad as Kain watched her comfortably from under a large tree. He had been sitting there for the last two hours.

"Great job everyone! Let's take a break." She said and a random shinigami handed her a towel. She grabbed it, started wiping the sweat on her forehead, and walked to the large tree.

"There's nothing like watching a graceful woman training with a bunch of sweaty men." Kain said with a smile.

"Well at least those sweaty men are actually doing something productive. Don't you get tired of sitting around?" She asked smiling back.

"Not when it comes to sitting around staring at _you_." He said getting up. She rolled her eyes.

He noticed the rolling of her eyes so he quickly lifted her off her feet and started running around the training grounds with her.

"Put me down idiot! How do you think it looks like when a fuku-taichou is playing around like a little kid?" She said annoyed at the playful man.

"Well it looks like she actually has a sense of humor and would probably make you a little more approachable." He said as he finally put her down.

"What do you mean?" She inquired.

He let out a loud sigh before responding. "I've noticed that everyone respects you for having worked so hard and improving as much as you have but they also appear to be a little intimidated by you."

"Nonsense! Besides, shouldn't that be a good thing?" she said a bit dismissively. Kain was about to respond when he noticed Renji heading their way.

"Abarai!" He said waving to the muscular red-head. He didn't like Renji but had to pretend for the sake of Rukia.

Renji waved back and continued to walk towards them. The sight of Kain just pissed him off.

"You're late." Rukia said arching her eyebrow.

"Sorry your highness! My squad isn't around the corner you know." Renji said to the petite girl.

"Well let's go I'm starving." Rukia said as the three walked to a large room where her squad members usually had their lunch.

"So I hear you have to go to Karakura town soon?" Renji said biting into his rice ball.

"Yeah, I haven't been there in years but apparently they want me to go since I have the most experience being there." Rukia said sipping on her tea.

"Why would they want a fuku-taichou going to a measly place like that? Don't they realize you have better things to do?" Kain said annoyed at the news.

"There's nothing major going on around here so they figured I should just go." Rukia answered.

"If it wasn't because my taichou is such a stickler about everything I could go with you too." Renji said thinking of his icy taichou.

Kain gave him a dirty look for talking bad about his friend but then he got an idea. "How about I go with you? I've never been to the world of the living but I'm kind of curious about going." Kain said using his expressive black eyes as a weapon and looked at her with puppy eyes.

"I'm not going to enjoy myself I'm going on business." Rukia said annoyed at Kain. Sometimes his carefree attitude really got on her nerves, although she had to admit that was what attracted her to him just a _tiny_ bit. That and his looks. He was very easy on the eyes.

"I'm sure you'll have no option _but_ to enjoy yourself if I go." Kain said continuing to tease Rukia. Renji gave Kain a "shut the hell up already" look. He hated rich, noble men like Kain who had everything they could wish for, and to top it off he had a terribly cocky attitude.

"I'll have to think about that but for now I have to get back to work." She said and got up. Renji followed.

"Kain, if you're done amusing yourself for today I suggest that you go home." Rukia said in the stern tone she used when she was all business.

"Work huh? Do you mind if I join for a bit? I could use some exercise" Kain said getting up as well.

Rukia gave him a doubtful look but then smirked. She would work his handsome conceited butt off.

"Later!" Renji said and he shunpoed away. Having such an annoying man flirting with his friend was not something he was too comfortable with, especially when she appeared to not mind it.

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><p><strong>**The following day**<strong>

"Nii-sama, I'm leaving to the world of the living. I will be back in three days." Rukia informed her brother.

"Make sure to avoid any unnecessary places and people Rukia." Byakuya said just in case.

"I am well aware of my duties nii-sama." She replied a bit annoyed but he nodded contently. She was not the same girl she was back then.

The servants informed Byakuya of the arrival of a guest and he waved for them to let him in.

Kain walked in the room with a grin as big as his ego, "You're ready to go?" He asked Rukia.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Rukia said confused. The last they spoke about him going with her was a few days ago.

"I already spoke to the commander and he had no problem allowing Kain to accompany you. He is capable enough to not get in the way of your assignment." Byakuya said.

"Besides, don't you want to spend some time with me?" Kain said pretending to feel offended.

"I don't mind you going as long as you behave properly. I know you don't adhere to any rules when it comes to living your life but I do." Rukia said in a serious tone.

"What are you a mini-Byakuya?" He said to the petite shinigami as a few veins popped on her head. How was her brother ever best friends with such an annoying guy?

"Kain, I _know_ you will respect my sister's wishes." Byakuya said and turned to walk away. Although Kain had such an unusual personality for a noble Byakuya still trusted the person he was on the inside.

Rukia opened the senkaimon as Kain stood beside her. She gave him one more look before they both went in. How could such a handsome and composed looking man have such an annoying attitude? She wondered.

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><p>Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Thanks for adding the story to your alertsfaves and thanks _darkassassin619_ for my first review :).


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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><p>After his night out with his friends Ichigo had been thinking a bit more seriously about proposing to Rin. He was an intelligent man, and logically there was no reason why he shouldn't marry her. And so, he ended up buying the dreaded engagement ring.<p>

Ichigo informed his family of his plans to propose and they decided to invite the two over for dinner Saturday so Ichigo could propose then.

****Saturday at Karakura Town****

Ichigo, Yuzu and Karin were out grocery shopping for dinner. They asked Rin to stay at home because they wanted the menu for tonight's dinner to be a surprise. Isshin was at the clinic working.

"You know you only needed to buy enough for the five of us right?" Karin said to Yuzu as she juggled many bags of groceries.

"I know but I wanted to make extra of everything to leave dad some leftovers. Now that we're in college I worry that he doesn't eat properly." Yuzu said with a frown.

"He's old enough to make his own—"Ichigo didn't finish his sentence when he unexpectedly stood frozen. He felt a familiar spiritual presence.

"Ichi-nii?" Karin said staring at her brother.

Ichigo started running towards it without thinking twice.

"Seriously?" Karin said annoyed at whatever had just happened. Yuzu and her looked at each other and decided to go after him.

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><p>Rukia and the shinigami representative of Karakura stood on a rooftop. He was new so it was routine for someone to go supervise his progress once a month. Rukia delivered important news and rules for him to follow among other things. He then gave her an important report before he bowed and left.<p>

"So now what?" Kain said looking at the small town from the rooftop.

"I'm supposed to stay in this world for three days to supervise the new shinigami representative." She said putting away the report.

"Where will we be staying?" He asked.

"At the new soul society headquarters of the world of the living. It's supposed to be a small place but it will do." Rukia pulled out her cell phone to find the location and they started heading towards the place.

The cell phone lead them to a secluded area in the forest. They stopped when they felt an invisible barrier. The barrier came down as it sensed Rukia's fuku-taichou badge. Upon entering they noticed the place basically resembled a taichou's office. The room was very large. It had wooden floors, a desk and a few couches. There were two doors leading them to two separate bedrooms with their own bathrooms.

Rukia started walking towards one of the bedrooms when she noticed Kain following closely behind.

"Where do _you_ think you're going? If you didn't know, you're room is on the other side." She said crossing her arms.

"That's no fun." He said with a seductive smile as he embraced her from behind. Rukia looked up to give him a playful smile but then removed his arms from her small body and continued walking to her room.

"Not now. Besides, I thought you wanted to explore the world of the living." She said and went to her room.

Rukia had never had such a free relationship as she did with Kain. A few weeks ago when he stated his intentions she told him she wasn't looking for something serious since her focus was on work. He understood and decided to go along with it.

The fact that Kain was older than her was a good thing. It made him less controlling and over-protective.

"Fiiiine." He said defeated and went to his room.

Rukia and Kain entered their gigais and left the headquarters. She decided to take him to the small downtown area.

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><p>"So you actually enjoyed being here back then?" He asked amused as he looked around.<p>

"Yeah it was fun. That was many years ago though and you could say I was a little more rebellious then." She said smiling.

"A little? From the stories I've heard you were worse than me when it came to breaking the rules!" He said.

"Like I said it was a long time ago. I've matured now and have found my place. Now you on the other hand—" Rukia was about to start teasing Kain when an orange-haired man stood in front of them.

"Rukia?" He said surprised. Rukia stared at him just as surprised. The person in front of her was not a child anymore. He had grown into a man.

"From the orange hair I take it you're Kurosaki Ichigo?" Kain said breaking the silence.

"Y-yeah." Ichigo said coming back from his surprise.

"I'm Miyamoto Kain." Kain said extending his hand with a friendly smile. He was not intimidated by Rukia's old boyfriend.

"Nice to meet you." Ichigo said wondering who he was and why he was with Rukia.

"So you're back in town?" Ichigo asked Rukia.

"There's a new shinigami representative in Karakura and I was sent to supervise his progress for a few days." She said a bit formally.

After a few moments of awkward silence Rukia finally said,"Well we should probably get going…it was nice seeing you again." Kain was happy. He didn't like the awkwardness between the two.

"Oh ok." Ichigo smiled slightly disappointed.

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu caught up with her brother. "Rukia-chan!" She said dropping the bags to the floor and running to give Rukia a hug.

"Hi Yuzu!" Rukia said responding to the hug happy to see the girl. "I can't believe how big you've gotten. You're taller than me!" She said surprised to see the now young lady.

'_Almost anyone is taller than you'_. Ichigo thought but repressed the joke. He wasn't too comfortable making silly jokes at the moment.

"Well that's what happens when you don't visit in four years!" Karin said giving her a small hug. Back when Rukia lived with them they had actually grown very close so she was happy to see they still held her close to their hearts.

"What brings you back?" Karin asked.

"Work." Rukia said simply.

Yuzu and Karin finally noticed the handsome man by her side and stared.

"Oh sorry for not introducing you, this is Miyamoto Kain, a good friend." Rukia said.

"Nice to meet you." They said in unison.

"Oh! Onii-chan we should have them come over for dinner tonight! Especially since you're-" Yuzu was going to spill the proposal news but Ichigo yelled over her.

"I'm not sure Yuzu! I think they already had plans." Ichigo yelled and everyone just stared in awe at his strange behavior.

Rukia smiled and was about to decline but Yuzu looked at her with deer eyes.

"That would be lovely." She ended up saying.

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><p><strong>**Kurosaki household**<strong>

The group of people made their way in the house and they were led to the living room. Kain and Rukia sat on one couch, Ichigo on another and Yuzu and Karin went to the kitchen to start making dinner.

Kain looked around and said in Rukia's ear, "Are all houses in this world this small? It is quite cramped."

"Yeah." Rukia said with a small smile. She knew compared to where he came from Ichigo's house would seem awfully small.

Ichigo sat on his spot uncomfortable to see Rukia being strangely close to another man. He also overheard his "small house" comment which made him like Kain even less.

"So what do you do now that you're no longer an active substitute shinigami?" Kain asked.

"I'm a literature teacher." Ichigo said.

"That's perfect. I remember how much you liked reading back then." Rukia commented.

"Yeah. So are you still in Ukitake's division?" Ichigo asked.

"I am. I was promoted to being his fuku-taichou." Rukia said proudly.

"That means…" he said surprised.

"Yes. She achieved bankai. Strange how such a small girl can be so strong huh?" Kain said with proud eyes of the girl next to him.

"You must have worked very hard." Ichigo said, although truthfully he couldn't picture Rukia achieving bankai.

A few minutes later a small girl with long brown hair made her way to the living room and all eyes were on her. Ichigo introduced her and she took a seat next to Ichigo.

Rukia noticed how attractive she was as well as her sweet personality. Her qualities were the opposite of hers, but I guess it suited Ichigo.

"So where are you originally from?" Rin asked Rukia and Kain.

"We're from…another country. We're here on a business trip." Rukia said hoping her answer would be sufficient.

Rin didn't know about shinigami, soul society or Rukia. After Rukia left that side of Ichigo had ended.

"So for how long have you guys been dating?" Kain asked.

"For three years." Rin said intertwining her fingers with Ichigo's.

"For how long have you guys been dating?" She asked Kain.

"We're just good friends." Rukia rapidly said.

"Well we've been getting to know each other for a few months now but Rukia's work is very intense and leaves little time for her personal life." Kain answered further.

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><p>After he was done in the clinic Isshin walked in the living room. He noticed Rukia and darted to her happily, "Rukia-chan, my long lost daugh—" He didn't finish his sentence as Ichigo kicked him in the gut.<p>

"Sorry. My father can be ridiculously immature." Ichigo said embarrassed and went to sit back next to Rin.

Isshin gave Rukia a small hug, shook hands with Kain and took a seat on the couch. He was happily surprised to see Rukia was back. He had always had a soft spot for Rukia.

Everyone was making small talk when Rukia felt the presence of a larger than average hollow. She decided to go and deal with it and give the new shinigami a break.

"Excuse me I need to make a phone call." She said and left the room.

A few minutes later Ichigo excused himself to go to the bathroom but left out the window of his room to go look for Rukia. Old habits died hard.

The hollow was a few blocks from the Kurosaki house. Rukia smiled. She hadn't done small tasks like these in a while. On the other hand, Ichigo was not used to hollows anymore and at the sight of Rukia next to such a gruesome thing he panicked.

"Rukia!" He ran to her.

"Ichigo?" She asked surprised to see him there. "Get out of the way!" The hollow dashed to get Ichigo but Rukia pushed Ichigo aside and skillfully got him with her zanpakuto.

"Are you ok?" She said as she ran to Ichigo's side.

Ichigo nodded. He felt extremely stupid. "Sorry I don't know what got into me."

"That's fine. You're not used to this anymore." She said extending her hand to help him get up. He took her hand and got on his feet.

They stood holding hands for a few seconds as they looked into each other's eyes. They let go and continued walking towards the house in silence keeping their thoughts to themselves.

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><p>Hi everyone! Hope you guys like the story so far. It's quite different from my other ones but I wanted to write something a little different. Let me know what you think so far!<p>

Also, the themes of the story might be a little more adult-like so the characters might be slightly OOC.

Thanks for adding the story to your faves/alerts and for the reviews :).


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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><p><strong>**Kurosaki household**<strong>

Everyone sat at the table content after finishing their dinner.

"The food was delicious, thank you." Kain said politely.

"You're welcome." Yuzu said to the attractive man with a slight tint to her cheeks.

Ichigo rolled his eyes hand continued fidgeting with the small velvet box in his pocket as his sisters and father waited for him to say something. He thought he was ready to take that next step but when it came down to it he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Rin noticed Ichigo was acting strange. She also noticed the way he longingly looked at Rukia. He never looked at _her_ that way and she wondered if they had been more than friends in the past.

"So how did you and Ichigo meet Kuchiki-san?" Rin inquired.

"We met at school. I attended Karakura high school for a few months and we became good friends." She lied.

"How did you guys meet?" Ichigo asked Rukia about her and Kain.

"Kain was nii-sama's best friend growing up, but I met him at the annual Kuchiki spring party." Rukia said.

'_So he must be a noble.'_ Ichigo thought slightly annoyed.

"So does he 'work' with you?" Ichigo continued questioning.

"No. I don't really like the politics around her 'work'. I'm the head of the Miyamoto clan so I'm in charge of the clan's affairs." Kain said sending Ichigo an icy stare.

"So you must come from a respected family." Rin said.

"You could say that." Kain smiled.

"That should please the Kuchiki clan." Ichigo said slightly sarcastic.

"It will even more once things become official between us." Kain said teasing Rukia and also to bother Ichigo.

"You have such a sense of humor." Rukia laughed nervously.

"Who said I was joking." Kain said a husky voice as he looked deeply into her violet eyes.

Everyone swat dropped at his straight-forward attitude. Everyone except Ichigo, Ichigo was too busy directing his dagger eyes at the couple.

Rukia noticed Ichigo's attitude and started feeling a bit uncomfortable. "It was a lovely evening but we should probably get going we don't want to impose." She said.

"You're not imposing at all Rukia-chan, you know you're like family to us." Isshin said.

"Yeah, you should stay a bit longer. We missed not having you around all these years." Yuzu said.

Rin felt a pang of jealousy. Why were they so nice to Rukia anyway? She couldn't help but feel a little insulted at the fact that Ichigo's family seemed to just _looove_ Rukia.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Ichigo asked. He was curious as to where they would be staying since Rukia always slept in his house when she was in his world.

"Yes. My work finally got some headquarters in town." Rukia said. "We should also get going since I want to take Kain around town. We're only here for three days and he's never been here before so I want to show him around."

"We can all show him around if you want. It'll be more fun." Karin suggested.

Rukia and Kain looked at each other. They agreed since they didn't want to be rude after everyone had been so welcoming.

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><p>Since it was night time the group decided to go to a karaoke bar.<p>

"I can see why you liked being in this world so much, it's fun!" Kain said as he watched Karin and Yuzu singing on the stage.

"I'm happy you're enjoying yourself." Rukia said sipping on her third strawberry daiquiri.

Ichigo stared for the hundredth time at the pair. Rukia had grown into a beautiful woman. She was more confident and assertive –if that was even possible-. Her hair was a bit longer which made her look a little sexier. Overall she just had a "glow" to her that Ichigo couldn't find but to feel attracted to.

He then looked at Kain. He was a handsome man but was surprised Rukia was interested in a man like him. He was Byakuya's childhood friend, which meant he was quite older than her. He was also a noble, and last time he checked Rukia wasn't big on that kind of stuff...

"Are you ok? You've been a little distracted all day." Rin said bring Ichigo back to reality.

"I'm fine!" Ichigo snapped a little. Rin gave him a hurt look and shifted away from him. Ichigo noticed his rude behavior and apologized right away.

"I'm sorry" He said sweetly as he reached for her hand and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"It's your turn onii-chan! Rin did you pick the song that you guys will be singing?" Yuzu asked.

"Yes." Rin smiled sweetly at Yuzu. Ichigo and Rin headed to the stage to sing their duet.

Rukia had a few drinks by now and was starting to get slightly buzzed. She looked up at the stage as Ichigo and his girlfriend sang. She didn't know why but seeing that Ichigo had moved on bothered her slightly. The fact that Ichigo had not mentioned her at all to his new girlfriend was also strange to her. Her irritation towards Ichigo slowly increasing…

"Don't tell me you still feel something for that boy?" Kain said smiling and looking suspiciously at Rukia.

"No. His attitude is actually starting to irritate me." Rukia said grumpily.

"Umm maybe you've had enough drinks for tonight." Kain said in a more serious tone as he put his wine glass down.

"And I thought you were completely different than nii-sama…" Rukia said.

"I don't want to ruin your fun but he's exactly why I think you need to take it slow. Byakuya trusts that I will take care of you, and you getting drunk doesn't really involve me doing so." Kain said.

Rukia was happily surprised to find out that Kain was a free-spirit but he could also be a responsible caring man when needed. She started leaning closer to him as she stared into his expressive black eyes. She then did something unexpected and kissed him tenderly.

Karin and Yuzu blushed and looked away from the amorous couple. Rukia was never one to have public displays of affection. Ichigo also caught a glimpse of the kiss from the stage and started fuming.

"Good job guys!" Kain said as Ichigo and Rin made their way back to the table.

"Your turn!" Rin said.

"Kain would you mind picking out the song while I go to the ladies room?" Rukia said sweetly and Kain nodded.

"I'll walk with you. I have to get another drink." Ichigo said and they left together.

* * *

><p>"So you actually like that guy?" Ichigo said bluntly.<p>

"What do you mean? What's not to like?" Rukia said with a smirk.

Ichigo could not believe her. Since when was Rukia so, so…agghh! He couldn't even place a finger on the way Rukia was acting.

"Don't tell me you're jealous? You're dating a veeery pretty girl yourself. Doesn't she make you happy enough to mind your own business?" Rukia said teasing him. Unfortunately, Ichigo didn't take it so lightly.

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her to a stop.

"What's your problem?" She said turning around to face him surprised at his odd behavior.

He wore a deep scowl. He was about to say something, but naturally he couldn't find the words. He let go of her wrist and walked away.

"Still haven't changed have you?" She said angry and stormed to the bathroom. Situations like these in which he wouldn't talk and simply walk away were part of the reason why they broke up years ago.

* * *

><p>Ichigo sat at the bar as he quickly downed a shot of liquor. He felt he needed it after his argument with Rukia. What the heck was wrong with him? He hadn't seen Rukia in four years. She had the right to move on and be with someone. Still, seeing her with that man bothered him to no end.<p>

Ichigo couldn't stand the feeling. It was mean but seeing how well she was doing pissed him off, especially because deep inside he was not so happy with his life. His boring human life…

"Ichi-nii?" Karin asked as she walked towards the bar where he was sitting.

"Oh hey Karin." Ichigo said giving her a fake happy smile.

"Drop the act. You may think you're fooling people but you're not that great of an actor." Karin said as she sat beside her brother.

"You've been acting weird ever since we met Rukia-chan at the park." She continued.

"Sorry Karin I'm just not feeling well." Ichigo said ruffling his sister's hair and getting up. He motioned for them to go back as he held yet another drink on his other hand.

"Hold on a second! I'm not a kid anymore. You're my brother and I want you to be happy even if that happiness is somewhere completely different than you thought it was!" Karin said referring to all the unspoken matters in Ichigo's heart. "I'm your family and I will always be there for you."

"Thanks." Ichigo said and they made their way back to join the group.

Rukia came back from the ladies room informing the group that she had a headache. Kain got up and they called it a night. Yuzu and Karin were sad but they made plans to hang out with Rukia the next day.

In comparison, the goodbye between the others was less than pleasant. Being the perceptive man that he was, Kain noticed the real reason behind Rukia wanting to leave was because something happened between her and Ichigo. Rin also noticed something was strange about the two but decided to keep quiet and ask Ichigo about it later.

* * *

><p>Kain and Rukia walked in the forest as they made their way towards the headquarters, the moonlight illuminating the way.<p>

"Thanks for allowing me to come with you." Kain said as the wind played with his soft black hair.

"It's not like I had a choice." Rukia said trying to focus on her footing. She was still a tad tipsy from the drinks.

Kain noticed her struggling and scooped her up. Being that she was tired and it had been a long day she let him carry her and rested her head on his chest.

"If I really bothered you that bad you would have gotten rid of me long ago, you should just accept the fact that you might actually feel something for me." Kain said in his usual overconfident playful tone.

"Keep it up and you'll be sleeping on a tree." Rukia said softly as she closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Thanks for the reviews and for adding the story to your faves/alerts.

Kain and Rin are adding drama to the story so don't worry this is still an IchiRuki story! :)

Don't forget to review! Thanks :p


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>Since both Ichigo and Rin lived in Tokyo they stayed at the Kurosaki household overnight. The lights were off and a nice breeze was coming in through the window in Ichigo's room.<p>

"Were you happy to see your friend today?" Rin asked as she shifted in Ichigo's arms and got comfortable, her long hair flowing on the pillow.

"It was very unexpected. I haven't seen her in four years." Ichigo answered avoiding the initial question.

"Everyone in your family seems to really like her." She said.

"Yea she's very special to everyone. We went through a lot together."

Rin was starting to get uncomfortable with Ichigo's answers. That wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Did you guys date?" She finally asked.

"Yeah." He said and let out a long sigh.

Rin felt like the biggest idiot in the world after spending the whole day with Ichigo's ex-girlfriend and not knowing. Given her calm personality she didn't want to confront Ichigo, but she felt too strongly about this to not say anything.

"Did you not trust me enough to tell me? You've told me before that you went on a few dates in your first year of college but never mentioned you had a stable relationship in the past, and apparently it was a serious one." Rin said slowly losing her patience.

"We dated in high school! Can you just drop it?" Ichigo said irritated removing his arm from her small body.

"No, I can't drop it! I've always been patient and open with you and I'm getting tired of it! I'm tired of your stupid mood swings and your stupid past that you refuse to tell me _anything_ about! Or did you think I was dumb enough to not notice? We've been dating for _three_ years Ichigo. The teenagers I counsel at school are less troublesome than you!" With that said she turned on the bed and gave him her back.

"Ugghh you always do this! Don't try to analyze me or confuse me with one of your students at school. I'm an adult!" Ichigo's loud voice echoed on the room's empty walls. His family was for sure getting an earful of their arguing.

"Well act like one…"She mumbled unwilling to look at him. Although she loved Ichigo deeply he was very intimidating when he got angry, it was as if a dark aura grew around him that made her unable to be around him.

He walked to the closet to get a pillow and blanket to go sleep on the couch. Funny enough when he opened it to look for those items he came across a drawer filled with stuff from when him and Rukia dated. He grabbed the blanket, pillow, and a small shoe box. He closed his bedroom door and went downstairs.

Ichigo tried to get comfortable on the couch. He grabbed the small shoe box and took out a handful of pictures. He browsed through the pictures of him, his friends, and Rukia from when they were still in high school. His eyes lingered on a picture of him and Rukia smiling and holding hands under a beautiful cherry blossom…

****flashback****

"This is amazing! It might even be better than the Kuchiki mansion's gardens." Rukia said animated as her and Ichigo walked next to each other through the path surrounded by cherry blossoms.

"Why must you always compare everything to that dumb mansion?" Ichigo said.

Rukia turned and hit him hard on the back of his head, "Idiot! You're just jealous of nii-sama's beautiful mansion!"

"You're such a violent girl! Why can't you take a hint from all the other girls at school and be nice!" Ichigo teased her as he rubbed his abused head.

"I'll stop using force the day _you_ start being nice to _me_!" Rukia said aggravated turning her head away from him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes but chose not to say anything back. He walked quietly next to Rukia with his hands on his head. After a while of walking Rukia had forgotten about their bickering and continued to enjoy their school field trip -cherry blossom gazing-.

"Kuchiki-san!" A boy from their school called as he walked up to her. He was in their same class and was very popular among the girls. He had brown spiky hair and green eyes.

"Oh, hi Morita-kun!" Rukia said in her sweet school-girl voice.

"Are you enjoying the field trip?" The boy asked a little nervously. Ichigo looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, I'm enjoying it very much thank you!" Rukia said with a wide smile and clasped her hands together.

The boy blushed at how pretty and refined Rukia was. "I was wondering if you'd like to walk together for the rest of the trip?"

"Umm…" Rukia didn't know what to say. She was caught off guard.

"No." Ichigo said taking his hands down from his head. "She's with me." He said turning to look at the boy with his trademark scowl.

"Oh Kurosaki! Sorry I didn't know…I'll just see you guys later!" A sweat drop the size of an ocean formed by the boy's head and he walked away as quickly as possible from his two classmates. That Kurosaki was as scary as ever…

"You didn't have to be so mean you know?" Rukia said putting her arms on her waist, "Who put _you_ in charge of making these decisions for me anyway?" Rukia said arching her eyebrow.

"I know I didn't have to." Ichigo said in a serious tone. He then pushed Rukia gently against a tree, put his hands on her shoulders and bent down to kiss her.

Rukia was perplexed as she stood with her arms hanging on her sides. Ichigo was _kissing_ her. She didn't know what to think or do. She knew she cared for Ichigo in a way she couldn't explain. Also, she hated to admit it but she was attracted to him in many ways other than just a friend.

He then broke the kiss and stared deeply into her violet eyes. He had been wanting to do that for a very long time but didn't have the courage to. The trigger for his actions was his jealousy. Rukia was a very pretty girl and Ichigo noticed she had caught the eye of many guys in school. The thought of anyone staring or being with her irked him, and so he decided to just go with his gut feeling and hope that Rukia would feel the same.

"I-i-ichigo…" She managed to say.

He reached for her small hands but didn't know how to express himself and continued to stare into her eyes.

He didn't need to say anything. His expressive brown eyes told Rukia everything she needed to know. She stood on her tiptoes still holding his hands and stretched her neck to kiss him. It was a bold move from her but after Ichigo's initiation she felt comfortable enough to continue what he started.

Ichigo was flying high knowing she returned his feelings. He let go of her hands to wrap his arms around her tiny frame and loved the feel of her body so close to his. He was bursting with happiness at the rush of the new emotions she was making him feel.

"Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!" Inoue said with a big smile. The couple turned to look at her with matching blushes.

"Damn you Ichigo! I knew you had your eyes on Kuchiki-san!" Keigo said.

"It's not like you had a chance." Mizuiro said.

"Ishida-kun! Do you have the camera?" Inoue asked and Ishida handed her the camera.

She then proceeded to take a picture of the new couple as they stood blissfully under the cherry blossom trees…

****End of flashback****

The following morning Yuzu was the first to get up to make breakfast. From what she overheard she knew Ichigo had slept downstairs on the couch so she was a little nervous of the awkwardness. Her brother was a very private person and didn't like getting others involved in his personal matters. To her surprise, she found Ichigo still sleeping but with old pictures of him and his friends scattered all over the place. She then noticed he was holding one on his hand. She couldn't fight her curiosity and took a peek. She wasn't surprised to find that it was a picture of him and Rukia, but she was worried of the effect that seeing Rukia had caused on her brother.

"Yuzu?" Karin said raising an eyebrow at her nosy sister.

"Shhh" Yuzu said and they walked towards the kitchen.

"Karin, I think onii-chan is not dealing too well with his emotions after seeing Rukia again."

"I didn't need _you_ to tell me that." Karin said as she put up her shoulder length hair on a pony tail.

"I got an idea! We should talk to Rukia-chan about it today when we see her." Yuzu said excited.

"Shhh." Karin said when she heard Ichigo's bedroom door open. "Ok but we can't get Rin involved in this." Yuzu nodded and ran to the living room to put the pictures her brother had left scattered around back in the shoe box.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Apparently I was in the mood for some IchiRuki fluff since the flashback suddenly came to me when I was writing the chapter. Hope you guys like it. Review and let me know :)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

><p><strong>**Kurosaki Household**<strong>

When Rin came down from Ichigo's room she said goodbye to Yuzu and Karin. She apologized for leaving so early and said she had forgotten she had some work she needed to finish by tomorrow. Ichigo was still sleeping on the couch and she told them not to wake him.

She caught a glimpse of him sleeping uncomfortably on the couch and felt a bit remorseful. Maybe she had been wrong and was only trying to pick a fight because she felt jealous of his past with Rukia. She was about to turn her eyes away when she noticed he was holding on to a photograph. The photograph was facing down so she couldn't see who was in it but there was some writing on the back that read: '_You say I stopped the rain in your heart but you brought the brightest light in mine. Love, Rukia.'_

Tears immediately started flowing down her eyes and she quickly left the house. Ichigo's attitude yesterday had left her wondering if he still felt something for Rukia, and seeing him clutching onto that photograph affirmed her suspicions.

* * *

><p>Ichigo groggily made his way to the kitchen.<p>

"Onii-chan breakfast is ready!" Yuzu said with a big smile.

"Us being here like this brings back memories." Karin said.

"You've only been away at school for one semester. You can't make it sound like you've been gone for a long time!" Ichigo said and took a bite of his food.

"My lovely family together again! Oh, how I've missed my babies all under one roof!" Isshin said darting to the kitchen. He looked around the table and noticed Rin was missing. He was going to make a comment but remembered last night's argument and decided against it.

"So onii-chan, we made plans to meet with Rukia-chan at the park but since we want to spend some girl time with her we thought maybe you could hang out with Kain for a bit?" Yuzu said innocently.

Ichigo wasn't too thrilled about spending time with the noble, but he agreed because he was curious to find out more about the man who was Rukia's…something.

"We're meeting her in an hour so you can start getting ready after breakfast." Yuzu said.

"Mind if I come along? I want to see my lovely Rukia-chan again, and I could use some man-time with Ichigo and that fine man!" Isshin said joking and everyone yelled a loud NO in harmony.

* * *

><p><strong>**The park**<strong>

Rukia and Kain sat on a bench waiting for their friends. Rukia was wearing brown boots that hit below the knee, a violet skirt, a white blouse and a brown fitted jacket. Being the noble that he was Kain refused to wear anything casual so he was wearing black dress shoes, black dress pants, and a blue button-up shirt with a tie.

"There they are!" Yuzu said pointing to the couple sitting on the bench. Ichigo's stomach was already starting to churn at the sight of them together. Karin noticed her brother's ominous aura and elbowed him on the side. He smiled at how perceptive she was and they continued walking.

"Rukia-chan!" Karin and Yuzu went to give her a hug.

"Sorry for the delay, Ichigo woke up late." Karin said jokingly.

"That's ok we didn't wait that long." Rukia said but was wondering why Ichigo came along. As she wondered she stared at the orange-haired man. He was wearing brown shoes, casual khaki pants, and a white button shirt.

"So did you guys call each other before getting dressed and decided to wear matching outfits?" Kain said playfully at the fact that Rukia and Ichigo matched. Rukia was trying not to blush and Ichigo was smiling inside at the fact that they were still in tune.

"So Rukia-chan, we wanted to have some girl-time with you so if it's ok with Kain Ichigo can show him around while we spend time together?" Yuzu said.

Rukia bit her lip and turned to look at Kain with a slightly concerned look. She recalled Ichigo wasn't too fond of the man.

"Sound's great! I'm sure I'll enjoy spending some time with Soul Society's old hero." Kain said turning to see Ichigo.

Everyone sweat dropped at the reference. They didn't really associate Ichigo with Soul Society anymore. To them he was just their older brother, the high school literature teacher.

* * *

><p>Yuzu, Karin, and Rukia sat at an ice cream shop eating ice cream sundaes.<p>

"So what are you guys studying at school?" Rukia asked.

"I want to be a nurse so I can help dad at the clinic once I graduate." Yuzu said.

"Since I wanted to do something sports related I decided to be a physical education teacher." Karin answered.

"Oh that's nice you'll be a teacher like Ichigo, and Yuzu that's great that you want to help your father out at the clinic. It makes me very happy to see that you guys grew up to be such bright young women in the four years I was away." Rukia said looking at the girls tenderly.

"So how have you been back at home?" Karin asked and took a big scoop of vanilla ice cream in her mouth.

"Time went by kind of quickly. I was promoted at Soul Society and I'm basically my captain's right hand. I keep very busy with work so it leaves very little time to do anything else." Rukia said with pride.

"Do you ever miss being back in our world….or with Ichi-nii?" Yuzu bravely asked.

Rukia was uncertain of opening her heart, but since she trusted Ichigo's sisters she took in a deep breath and answered truthfully.

"What I miss the most is spending time with you guys and the old group of friends from school. I thought of visiting many times but I was afraid if I did I would get confused and not know what to do. After Ichigo graduated I realized I didn't want to depend on someone completely, and back then I depended on him too much for my liking. I wanted to grow as a person and do something I was passionate about. I also wanted Ichigo to have a chance of experiencing life without worrying about shinigami or Soul Society. After he defeated Aizen and we dated for those two years I realized if he stayed with me he was never going to fully live his life…Well that and also at the end of our relationship he had become a little controlling and we argued non-stop."

"Man, growing up is hard to do..." Karin said.

"So how does it make you feel seeing him again?" Yuzu continued to inquire.

"I honestly don't know. When we parted ways I thought we left on good terms but now our relationship doesn't feel the same. It's almost as if we can't connect anymore. It made me a little sad but maybe that's as far as our ties could take us. Either way I'm happy to see him doing so well." Rukia gave them her trademark fake smile.

The truth was that the more she opened up to Ichigo's sisters, the more she realized her own feelings. She didn't like worrying or thinking about emotions so she completely ignored them. She had become quite skilled at repressing all thoughts that were non-work related.

Yuzu and Karin looked at each other a bit worried. From Rukia's roundabout answer they knew she still cared about Ichigo. The problem at hand now was that their life choices seemed to take them further apart from one another.

* * *

><p>Ichigo had no idea what to do with Kain, so they walked around Karakura's down town area and he told him to let him know if something caught his eye. Kain chose to go to a small coffee shop and both men sat at a small table outside.<p>

"So why didn't your girlfriend come to spend time with the girls?" Kain asked.

"She had some work to finish so she went home." Ichigo said slightly scowling at the nosy man.

"What does she do?" Kain continued questioning.

"She's a counselor at the high school I work at." Ichigo said and took a bite of his chocolate cake.

"Oh how sweet! It must be nice to be able to see your girlfriend everyday…I wish Rukia and I had more time to see each other but her work is so demanding. I usually have to hunt her down at her office or her squad…" Kain said as he elegantly sipped on his cup of coffee.

Ichigo's jealousy was starting to show as he squirmed uncomfortably on his seat and his scowl deepened further. Kain took notice and decided to keep tormenting him.

"But of course being Byakuya's childhood friend allows me to drop by the mansion any time I please, we're basically family. Although I hear he's never been too fond of you." Kain said with a smile as the wind blew and played with his straight black hair.

"I have to say I feel a little bad for you. It seems you're desperate for Rukia to take you seriously but she must not be really interested if she's not making the time…I can't relate since we never had that predicament when we dated. " Ichigo said with a smirk.

Kain's patience had run dry. He decided to get to the point instead of toying with Ichigo any further.

"Let me be fully honest with you Kurosaki Ichigo. I would like for you to rid yourself of your delusional ideas. Whatever it is that you think you are of Rukia, or whatever it might be that you want with her, forget it. At this point, you would only complicate her life. She has worked had to get to where she is today. If you're worried about me not being good enough I can guarantee I'm better than what you can _ever_ aspire to be. A human from the living world and a shinigami simply cannot be. I suggest that you get a hint from Rukia herself and _completely_ move on."

Kain gave him an icy look worthy of Byakuya's standards and got up from his seat.

"Tell Rukia I'll be waiting at the headquarters. I've had my share of amusement for the day." Kain said and proceeded to walk away, leaving a very angry Ichigo alone with his thoughts and his chocolate cake.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone, hope you liked the chapter, it had lots of drama! Don't forget to review :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

><p>Ichigo sat alone as he finished his chocolate cake. He could not believe the nerve of that man. First, he questioned him about Rin and then he started blabbering about him and Rukia spending time together! He had learned everything he needed to know about him in their five minute conversation and he was <em>not<em> worthy of Rukia.

Ichigo's train of thought drifted off and he started wondering how Rukia would look like sitting at her fuku-taichou's office doing paperwork. He pictured her drawing little bunnies on the stacks of paper. He then pictured her practicing with her squad and strengthening her techniques and remembered how beautiful she looked when she would fight...it was mesmerizing.

His phone rang and brought him back from his Rukia-filled thoughts. It was Rin calling but he immediately sent her to voicemail. It was strange; even though she didn't do anything wrong he felt smothered and irritated just by thinking about her. He got up and started heading back to the park to meet the girls.

* * *

><p>Ichigo sat on the accorded bench. A few minutes later he saw Rukia and his sisters approaching.<p>

"We're back!" Yuzu said happy.

"Did you guys have a nice time?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah." Karin answered.

"Where's Kain?" Rukia asked a bit concerned.

"He said he'd meet you at the headquarters because he wanted to rest a bit. He also said to take your time and enjoy the rest of the day." Ichigo said with an overly happy tone (Rukia didn't need to know about his half-truth).

"Oh…ok." Rukia said a little doubtful.

"That's great! You can spend the rest of the day with us!" Karin said.

"Where would you like to go Rukia-chan?" Yuzu asked.

"I'm not sure…maybe the shopping center? That's another one of the things I miss from your world." Rukia said as she recalled the boring stores at Soul Society.

'_Another one of the things she misses?'_ Ichigo thought. Hearing her say that made him happy.

Their walk to the shopping center was a bit tense because Ichigo and Rukia hadn't been around each other since their argument at the karaoke bar. Rukia made sure to walk next to Karin or Yuzu at all times making it slightly obvious.

* * *

><p><strong>**Shopping center**<strong>

Yuzu, Karin, and Rukia decided to go to their favorite clothing store. Ichigo trailed along slightly bored.

"So what are you going to get Rukia-chan?" Karin asked looking through the racks of clothing.

"I'm not sure. I like too many things but it doesn't make sense for me to buy clothes from your world if I can't wear them at soul society." Rukia said a little disappointed that she didn't think of that before.

"Maybe you could buy something else then, they have lots of other cool things!" Yuzu said trying to cheer her up.

"You could leave the clothes at dad's house for when you visit again. You know you're still like family to _us_." Ichigo said from where he was standing surprising the three girls. He knew Rukia was feeling a little nervous around him after his behavior last night and he wanted to reassure her that he still cared for her.

"Thank you, Ichigo." Rukia said looking up to meet his chocolate eyes. She continued to look around and ended up purchasing a few items. She knew she would most likely never get a chance to wear them but she got them anyway.

After the clothing store they went to a small book store. Rukia was in heaven when she got to the manga section. Her eyes shinned brightly as she scanned the new issues and stories.

As Ichigo watched her from the front of the store he couldn't understand how she could be happy away from it all. Why didn't she figure it out? He never wanted to let her go to begin with. That day at the park he truthfully didn't think Rukia would leave for good. He smiled and was content when they parted but he was thinking she would eventually come back to him again. After a year of waiting he realized she wasn't going to come back. It was then that Rin came along. Rin was the beautiful girl next door that every guy would die to go on a date with. Every guy _but_ him…

"Let's go onii-chan!" Yuzu said after Rukia paid for her giant stack of manga. Ichigo politely offered to carry the bag and she handed it to him.

* * *

><p>After a few more stores Rukia was done doing all the shopping she could do. She was also more relaxed because she could tell her and Ichigo were starting to get comfortable around each other again.<p>

"We should go to the haunted house, I used to love it but Ichigo never wanted to take me!" Rukia said to Karin and Yuzu.

"That's because hollows were scarier than that stupid place!" Ichigo said walking closer to her, "Besides, you'd end up fooling Keigo into going with you since I wouldn't take you." Ichigo said crossing his arms.

"Yea but in the end it wasn't worth it since you'd end up getting jealous of him…how could anyone get jealous of Keigo anyway?" Rukia said in a mocking tone.

"You know he's still single!" Ichigo said teasing back.

Rukia and Ichigo suddenly realized they had been arguing all over again like the high school couple they used to be. They started blushing a bit and moved away from each other quickly.

Karin and Yuzu were giggling at their interactions because they knew it was friendly bickering. Still, Karin decided to be the one to break the embarrassing moment between the two.

"They recently renovated it. It's a bit scarier now." She said.

Ichigo gave her a "thank you" look. She was always the one in the family to be able to smooth things down.

* * *

><p>Rukia had gone to use the washroom. Yuzu and Karin waited by the entrance of the haunted house and Ichigo went to pay for the tickets.<p>

"Sooo Karin…I got an idea." Yuzu said with a mischievous look. "How about we pretend to lose sight of onii-chan and Rukia-chan when we go in the haunted house?"

"You're such a kid!" Karin said glaring at her sister. "But I'm in."

Ichigo walked to where his sisters were waiting. "Where's Rukia?" He asked as he looked around.

"You took too long and she left." Karin teased her brother. Ichigo's scowl slowly started making its way to his face. "Relax Ichi-nii! She went to the washroom." Karin said rolling her eyes.

Rukia made her way back to the group and they headed to the haunted house. Yuzu and Karin went in first. Rukia was going to say something but chose to let them be.

Inside the haunted house Rukia was freaking out. Yuzu and Karin weren't around and the place was completely different from what she remembered. The "renovations" included holograms which made the creepy monsters too realistic –not to mention they had gotten new speakers which were almost making her ears bleed from the loudness-. Ichigo noticed and wanted to reach for her hand but that seemed too intimate of an action. Instead, he put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see him and he gave her a warm smile. She smiled back and continued walking.

At the end of the haunted house they had actors scaring people by screaming and jumping from dark places. Unfortunately, Rukia's fighter instincts kicked in and she thought Ichigo and her were really going to get attacked. She was about to launch herself at one of the perpetrators but Ichigo quickly wrapped his arms around her to stop her from doing so.

As soon as he did that it felt as if timed had stopped and re-winded back; all the old feelings coming back in the blink of an eye. She closed her eyes and took in his intoxicating scent. It had been too long. She got lost in the moment and wrapped her arms around him. She then leaned her head on his chest. She loved being in his presence as well as the feeling of being in his strong protective arms. The warmth she experienced while hugging him was something she couldn't compare to anything else.

"Ummm if you guys want to make out you might want to go somewhere else…" The actor –now with his monster head off- told the couple.

Rukia was brought to reality when she realized what she had done. She had gotten lost in those confusing feelings of hers and she had hugged Ichigo –something completely unnecessary-.

"I'm so stupid…" She mumbled to herself and ran out the place.

"Rukia!" Ichigo was going to go after her but he remembered his sisters were waiting outside.

* * *

><p>Ichigo exited the haunted house and walked towards his sisters.<p>

"Where's Rukia-chan?" Karin asked.

"Something came up from her work and she had to leave." Ichigo said in a dull tone.

"Oh." Was all Karin could say.

"Will she be back?" Yuzu asked.

"I don't think so." Ichigo said looking away. "It's getting late anyway and you guys need to take the train to head back to school."

"What about Rukia-chan's stuff?" Yuzu asked staring at the bags Ichigo was holding.

"I can drop the bags off at dad's house after I take you guys to the train. I'll just take the later train back to Tokyo." Ichigo answered.

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><p>Hi everyone! Another drama filled chapter with some IchiRuki goodness. I'm planning on making the next chapter extra fluffy. Depending on how "adult" it gets I might have to change the rating. If anyone has a problem with the <em>possible<em> change of rating please let me know!

Thanks for adding the story to your alerts/favorites and for reviewing! =D

**Don't forget to leave some feedback :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone! Sooo I was a little shy to write this chapter. There are no lemons but certain things are implied between our favorite couple. If after reading this chapter anyone feels I should up the rating let me know.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

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><p><strong>**Kurosaki Household**<strong>

Ichigo was in his old room lying on the bed, a wide smile on his sun-kissed face. The feeling of having Rukia in his arms was still the same as before, and by Rukia's actions he could tell she felt the same. She had hugged him by instinct, and the feeling behind her actions couldn't be denied. The only thing that bothered him was her reaction afterwards. He heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said and sat up. His father entered the room.

"Rin called a few times to see if you were still here. She said she called your cell phone but you weren't picking up." Isshin said.

"Oh, I didn't hear it ring..." Ichigo lied and pretended to look to see if he had any missed calls.

"So what are you still doing here? It's kind of late. Shouldn't you be heading to your place?" His dad asked.

"Rukia bought some things when we were out and I told her she could leave them here for when she visits again." Ichigo said softly with a gloomy mood he was has trying hard to conceal.

Isshin gave him a concerned look as he sat beside him on the bed. He knew what his son was going through because he had gone through the same thing a long time ago.

"Back when I was younger and lived in Soul Society you could say I had the perfect life. I had a high-ranking position..the world seemed to be on the palm of my hand. I was also seeing a very beautiful shinigami. Even though I had everything that _should_ have made me a happy man, I wasn't. I always felt that something was missing. It wasn't until I came to this world and I met Masaki that I finally found what was missing in my heart….Ichigo, I know you don't truly love Rin. Please don't use her to try to fill a void she will never be able to fulfill. She has been too good these past three years and deserves better. I know things between you and Rukia-chan are complicated and they might or might not work out, but you shouldn't hesitate to give it your all if that's what you truly want." Isshin said giving him a smile.

"Thanks dad." Ichigo said smiling back. He got up from the bed and put Rukia's bags in his closet.

After Ichigo said good bye to his father he tried searching for Rukia's reiatsu and walked around Karakura at no avail. The reason he couldn't feel her was because she was in the headquarters, which had a barrier around that made it impossible for him to do so. He was starting to get desperate and disappointed because he didn't know if he would ever see her again.

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><p><strong>**Headquarters**<strong>

Rukia walked in late in the evening to find a sleeping Kain in his room. _'He must have been really tired if he's still sleeping'_ Rukia thought. She went to her room to lay on the bed. Her thoughts were running wild as she thought of all the feelings that had been reawakened in her heart by the simple act of hugging Ichigo. She started getting restless. The headquarters were tiny and she had nothing interesting to do. She thought of waking Kain but opted against it. She wasn't really in the mood to deal with him, and knowing how perceptive he was he'd easily catch on to the fact that something was bothering her.

She decided to go for a walk to clear her thoughts and quietly left the headquarters.

Once she was out of the small forest area she started walking on the streets of Karakura towards no place in particular. She had walked for a while when she realized she was by the river. She headed to the spot where Ichigo would often go to clear his head. She sat on the grass and stared at the calmness of the river.

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><p>After being unsuccessful at finding Rukia Ichigo didn't feel like being in a crowded train, so instead of going back to Tokyo he decided to go clear his head somewhere calm. He started walking to his destination but was too distracted to notice Rukia's reiatsu (not that he ever improved at noticing these sorts of things to begin with). He started walking down the grassy hill when he noticed the girl of his affection sitting on the grass.<p>

He stopped on his tracks. His heart was still in turmoil and he wasn't expecting to find Rukia there. He had lost any hope of finding her so seeing her sitting there was like a dream. He got over the initial shock of seeing her and immediately made his way to her.

"Rukia!" He yelled as he ran to her.

"I-i-ichigo!" She said surprised and stood up.

"What are y-" He didn't let her finish and took her in his arms.

She was happy, she wanted this, she wanted _him..._but it was wrong. It was against everything she had planed her life to be since going back to soul society. It pained her to do it but she pulled away from the warmth of his hug.

"This isn't right, Ichigo." She said in a stern voice avoiding his intense brown eyes.

"You can't tell me that when I know you still care about me." Ichigo said trying to look her in the eyes.

"It's been too long…we already chose our paths." She said in a softer tone.

"You're telling me you've become the type of person to stay in one path even if you know in your heart it's not the right one?" He asked.

"What about you? It's the middle of the night and you're chasing after a woman you haven't seen in four years when you have a loving girlfriend somewhere thinking you belong to _her_. What does that say about _your_ morals?" Rukia said aggravated.

"This has nothing to do with-" Ichigo couldn't finish as Rukia interrupted him.

"This has _everything_ to do with whatever excuse you are going to say! You said it yourself yesterday. I worked very hard to get to where I am today, and I am not going to let a man with a wavering heart ruin that because he thinks he still wants me!" Rukia said intensely as her breathing became ragged.

"You're lying. I can see right through you. You know I don't love her, you know I will _never_ love anyone but you…why must you always act on whatever it is that _you_ think is good for me." He said softly as his eyes became sad.

"Don't make this harder on me than it already is…Ichigo." She said softly as tears streamed down her face.

He closed the distance between them and wiped away her tears. He put his arms around her small frame again. She slowly withered in his arms and rested her head on his chest.

Her tears had no end. She still loved him with all her heart. How was this happening again? Was she so weak that her resolve would break after only two days of being around him? At this point she didn't care. She let herself be guided by her emotions and indulged in the pleasure of being with him.

* * *

><p>He kept an arm possessively around her waist as he gently caressed her back. His hand made its way to her chin lifting it so he could look into her deep violet eyes. Her teary eyes glistened under the moonlight. He looked tenderly into her eyes.<p>

"I love you." He said above a whisper. She was still looking up dazed as she got lost in his brown eyes. He slowly put his lips on hers. They started kissing tenderly but as their need to feel each other grew their kisses became more passionate. It was as if they wanted to make the moment feel more real.

They continued their caresses until they were interrupted by Ichigo's phone. Reluctantly and without letting go of Rukia he took his phone out of his pocket and without hesitation sent the call to voicemail. He knew who it was. She knew as well. She pulled away at the reminder that there was an innocent party involved.

"This isn't right Ichigo" She said a little shaky as she pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you in this position but lying and pretending to love someone is what's wrong. Being with the one you love is not." He said.

She couldn't keep away from him. He was right. They loved each other. She closed the gap she had created between them and hugged him once again.

Ichigo wanted to spend more time with Rukia but he suddenly remembered where they were. It was almost midnight and they were out by the river. He took her small hand in his and started walking back up the hill. She followed without asking questions.

* * *

><p>When they got to the Kurosaki household Rukia was hesitant to go into the house. She didn't want Isshin to know what they were up to so they made their way in through Ichigo's room window. Twice today they felt like a teenage couple...sneaky teenagers in love.<p>

They climbed the ledge of the window and quietly landed on the bed. Without speaking or making a sound Ichigo pushed Rukia gently on the bed.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear as he hovered over her.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

He held her hands as his lips made their way to her neck and kissed her tenderly. He moved down to her collarbone, back to her neck, and to her lips again. She let go of his hands to caress his back. She then moved her hands up to caress the back of his neck. She slowly ran her hands up through his messy hair and brought him closer to her deepening their kiss.

"Rukia…" He said.

Their caresses were leading them to a place they both knew they wanted to go. He started removing her brown coat and looked into her violet eyes asking for permission. She lifted her back and let him remove the piece of clothing. He then kicked off his shoes and helped her remove her boots. He was sure to quietly place them on the floor.

Rukia gave him a playful smile and she proceeded to unbutton his white shirt. She slowly undid each button. She could tell Ichigo had changed. He now had the body of a man. He was still lean and in shape but he wasn't as… scrawny.

Although it didn't show, Ichigo was very nervous of being intimate with Rukia. In the two years they dated they had never done anything past the usual hugging and kissing. Not because they didn't want to but because they didn't want to betray Isshin's trust. Ichigo had also never been intimate with Rin. She had dropped hints to let him know she'd be ok with it but there was always something missing.

Likewise, Rukia had never been with a man in that way and to bring up Kain in this department was out of the question.

Ichigo's heart was beating fast as he realized what was about to happen. He couldn't have wanted it any other way. His shaky fingers started to undo Rukia's buttons with some difficulty. Rukia noticed and smiled but didn't help him, instead she ran her fingers through his chiseled abs making him even more nervous.

When he was finally done removing her white shirt he leaned his body closer to her and kissed her some more to ease his nerves. Slowly, they continued to discard the rest of their clothing.

The moon shinned brightly on the clear blue sky as Ichigo and Rukia engaged in the most intimate of ways. Their uncertainty and worries slowly being pushed away with every minute they spent together.

A couple warm tears slowly made their way down Rukia's flushed cheek as Ichigo claimed what had always been his for the very first time. He gently kissed the tears away. Unlike the many other tears that had made their way across her face in the past, she openly and happily welcomed these.

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><p>Hello again! Hope you guys liked the new chapter. Please review and let me know :).<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update, I went on vacation for a few days and stayed at a cabin with no internet :(.

Anyway, I also wanted to say I'm sooo happy our lovely Rukia is back in the manga! =D

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

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><p><strong>**World of the living**<strong>

Rukia slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She smiled when she felt Ichigo's warmth radiating through her body and moved closer to him. Ichigo felt her moving and opened his tired eyes. He wrapped his arms tighter on her and looked down to see her. How did this happen? He didn't know and didn't care to know. All he knew was that at the moment he was the happiest man alive.

"Rukia…" He said in a husky voice.

"Mmh?" She replied, her face hidden in his chest.

"I love you." He said.

It felt so good to say it. When he said it to Rin he knew he loved her but he wasn't _in_ love with her. Saying it to Rukia felt liberating. It didn't feel like something he needed to say to make her happy, it was something he said because it made _him_ happy.

Rukia turned her head from its comfortable spot to look into his eyes, "I love you too."

For Rukia, saying those three little words to Ichigo was like letting go of a heavy burden; it was something that she had suppressed for so long in order to be able to 'move on'. She loved Ichigo with all her being so saying it was only natural.

"Ichigo…there's something we need to talk about." She said in a soft but serious tone. "Now that I'm a fuku-taichou I can't simply abandon my responsibilities. I want to be with you but we are going to have to take things slow and find a way to work everything out…"

"I understand. Unlike the last time we said goodbye I won't be so selfish again as to assume that you will give up everything up for me. All I ask is that you never try to leave permanently again because I wouldn't be able to stay away from you." Ichigo answered and then leaned to kiss Rukia. "Ok, there's something else I want to ask about…" Ichigo said but Rukia already knew the question.

"No. Kain and I never officially dated or anything." She said.

"So you guys were dating just not…officially?" Ichigo said with a frown. To him that sounded worst than being boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Something like that…but don't make that face, I was free to do what I pleased just like _you_." Rukia said to him implying his relationship with Rin.

"I'm sorry." He said embarrassed, "I really need to work on my jealousy issues."

"Well there's many ways to make it up to me." Rukia said with a naughty smile.

After some more of their newfound activities they talked some more of ways in which they could work things out. Being from different worlds was a task that although difficult would not tear them apart. They knew they had to start things off slowly so they decided Rukia would visit Ichigo every weekend or whenever she could as to not neglect her fuku-taichou responsibilities.

After talking they got dressed and left Ichigo's old room. It was a bit impersonal and they both wished they could stay together for many hours more but they both had responsibilities to fulfill.

Isshin sensed the two leave –through the window, naturally-. The lengths that two people in love will go through to be together are so amusing; Isshin could only smile at the thought. They must have forgotten something as simple as him being a shinigami because even if they snuck in through the window, they should have known that he could feel their spiritual pressure.

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><p><strong>**Ichigo's work (random high school in Tokyo)**<strong>

A very sleep deprived Ichigo sat at Rin's counseling office holding a cup of coffee. He was drained after last night's activities. Drained but happily fulfilled. It was a miracle he made it back to Tokyo in time to go to work. He was happy he did though since there was something very important he needed to take care of.

"You look tired." Rin said as she skeptically looked at the man who sat across from her. "Does it have anything to do with why you weren't picking up any of my calls last night?"

"Rin…I'm not going to beat around the bush. Since seeing Rukia again I realized I never stopped loving her…I'm deeply sorry." Ichigo said honestly looking into her eyes.

Rin's feelings went from skeptical and confused to furious at the man in front of her. She sprung up from her chair.

"Get out!" She yelled pointing to the door.

"I'm sorry for being so straightforward I just wanted you to know the truth. I never meant to hurt y-" Ichigo didn't get to finish. Rin slapped him. She couldn't bear to hear him say those words.

"You never meant to hurt me?...never meant to _hurt_ me? You jerk! I wasted three years of my life on you! And after seeing your ex-girlfriend again, an ex-girlfriend I had _no_ knowledge of by the way, all we had simply vanished! That's cold Ichigo!"

Rin was crying but her face was covered by her long brown hair; her small body trembling. She saw it coming when she noticed for the first time the way he looked at Rukia.

"Rin I-" Ichigo stretched his hand to comfort her.

"No Ichigo….just go!" She yelled and turned away from him.

Ichigo felt like a terrible person. Not for what he had just done, but for lying to her all this time. He stepped out of her office and closed the door.

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><p><strong>**World of the living headquarters**<strong>

Rukia came in the headquarters a little bit after six in the morning. Kain appeared to be in his bedroom and Rukia was relieved because she didn't want to have to explain herself. She was about to open the door to her bedroom when she heard the noble man.

"You bring me here so we can spend time together and instead you leave me here alone all day?" Kain said in what was supposed to be a teasing tone but came off too forced to be one.

"I didn't bring you here so _we_ could spend time together. I came here because it was part of _my_ job." She said annoyed.

"Since when is Kurosaki Ichigo a part of your job then?" Kain said in a cold tone.

"Whatever I do before or after my work-related activities has nothing to do with you Kain." Rukia said sternly.

Kain was hurt. No, Kain's _oversized_ ego was hurt. He was usually very well-behaved and cautious when he was around Rukia but he couldn't take it anymore.

"I have been very patient with you. I've let you know in every possible way that I'm interested in you. I've even pretended to befriend low-lives such as Abarai to get on your good side. And what do I get? A stubborn little princess that refuses to let go of her stupid little boy-toy!" He said in an anger-filled voice.

"This is why I _specifically_ told you I was not interested in anything serious! I don't know who you think you are but you have no authority over me. I also never asked you to do anything for me! You never liked what I do or who I talked to. We have nothing in common which is why I find your deep interest in me a waste of time." She started to walk away but then she turned around and said, "Be ready in five minutes to go back to Soul Society." She ended it with an icy glare and kept on walking away.

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><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

Rukia and Kain made their way back to soul society. Kain was quiet for the remainder of their time together. He had never seen that side of Rukia. On the other hand, Rukia was not really bothered. She was physically attracted to Kain before but she was never too fond of his character. Also, the events between her and Ichigo were helping her keep cool and happy so whatever happened between her and Kain didn't really matter.

They finally made it back through the senkaimon.

"I am leaving to my division. Goodbye Kain." She said formally and shunpoed away from the man.

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><p><strong>**13 Division**<strong>

Rukia briefed her taichou and briefed him on how the new Karakura shinigami was doing. Ukitake noticed something strange in her voice. He noticed she sounded a little too happy.

"So did you do anything fun on your trip to the real world? I hear Kain went with you." Ukitake said.

"I'm not so sure Kain liked the world of the living, it might be the last time he goes. I spent time with a few people from the past...On that note, now that I have rekindled my friendship with them I was wondering if I would be able to go see them on the weekends if my job permits." Rukia said slightly nervous of her boldness.

"That doesn't sound like it would be a problem Kuchiki-san! If I should need you here I'll send you a message and you can simply come back." Ukitake said with a smile. He had an idea who it was that she wanted to see. It was the only person that could make her this happy.

Rukia headed to her desk to do some paperwork. When she was done she decided to skip the training with her squad because she was tired from her earlier activities with Ichigo so she decided to head to the mansion.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki mansion**<strong>

Rukia got to the mansion late in the evening. She was heading to her room when she felt a familiar spiritual preassure heading her way.

"Rukia." Byakuya said calmly.

"Nii-sama." Rukia said turning around to see her brother.

"I spoke to Kain. He was rather upset at-" Byakuya said but Rukia didn't let him finish.

"Nii-sama, I am not sure what Kain has told you but-" This time it was Byakuya who didn't let her finish her sentence.

"Rukia." He said once more in a firm voice. "I trust that your decisions will be wise and will not lead to any unnecessary trouble. I am pleased to see that you are back home, good night." Byakuya gave Rukia a happy look with what appeared to be a smile and went on his way.

Byakuya cared about his sister's choices but he also knew she wasn't a child. As long as she didn't do anything against the law or to put herself in the way of unnecessary harm, he knew he had to let her live her life and make her own life choices. The reason he had let her make the choice to be with Ichigo after the Aizen battle was because of this, but also because he truly trusted Ichigo. Of course, there was no need to outwardly admit this fact to neither of them.

Rukia headed happily to her room. She knew her nii-sama too well and knew that she was still in good terms with him. Whatever Kain told him most likely had zero effect on him. She was bursting with happiness just thinking about Ichigo. She could not wait until the weekend came…

* * *

><p>Hi again! Hope you guys liked the chapter, don't forget to leave some feedback :).<p>

Also, thanks for adding this story to your alerts/faves and for reviewing!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

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><p><strong>**Karakura Town**<strong>

Rukia came in through the senkaimon Saturday morning. Ichigo told her that whenever she could make it to his world to call his cell phone or go to his dad's house.

*ring*ring*ring*

"Rukia?" Ichigo said sleepily through the phone.

"Good morning!" She said smiling.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"In Karakura, where else?" She said matter-of-factly.

"That's awesome! Can you go to dad's house and wait for me? I can meet you in a bit I just need to get ready and I'll take the next train over there!" He said quickly getting up from his bed.

"Ichigo, relax! We took the train many times before, remember? I just need to go to your dad's, get my gigai, the rest of my stuff, and we can meet at the Tokyo station closest to your place." She said.

"But-!"

"I'll call you when I'm on my way!" She said and hung up. Since she was in her shinigami form she shunpoed to the Kurosaki household to grab her belongings. After getting in her gigai and getting her stuff she proceeded to leave the house. When she was locking the door to leave she heard Isshin coming from the clinic.

"Rukia-chan!" He said with a big smile.

"Good morning" Rukia smiled back and waited by the door as he walked to her.

"I'm very happy you came back, we all missed you." He said warmly.

"I'm very happy too, I missed everyone as well." She said.

"I hope you and Ichigo can work things out, although I have a feeling that even if you tried you wouldn't be able to get rid of him anymore." He said and gave her a wink. They talked for a few minutes and then said their goodbyes.

* * *

><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

Ichigo was elated. Although he had been thinking of Rukia all week and wanted to see her he didn't want to be selfish and get his hopes up. He quickly started cleaning his condo (although it was mostly clean since Ichigo was a very neat person), and then he went to take a shower.

When he was in the shower he thought of what it meant for Rukia to be there. She was there because they were going to give their relationship another try. Everything was going to be different than what it was in high school. They were older, they had jobs (although hers was a little less conventional), and now he had his own place…Rukia was going to be staying at _his_ place.

He got out of the shower when his cell phone rang…

"Hello." He said wearing a towel around his waist.

"Hey, my train should get to your station in about 15minutes." Rukia said.

"Ok. I won't be late but in case I am just wait for me!" Ichigo said as he started to get dressed.

"Ok, bye!" She said and hung up. It was funny how Ichigo's protective side was still a very big part of him.

As soon as Ichigo got off the phone with Rukia, he zoomed out of his condo so fast you would have thought he could shunpo in his human form. He waited impatiently outside the train station until he finally saw Rukia come out. She was wearing a white sweater, dark blue jeans, and her brown boots (the clothes she bought last week with his sisters). Ichigo also noticed she was sporting a very short haircut. He blushed, she looked so elegant and he somehow felt like a child again.

"Hey" She said with a big smile.

"Yo" He said still trying not to stare.

"Ok, spit it out. What's the problem?" She said arching her eyebrow.

"N-n-nothing's wrong. Let's go." He said taking her hand as they started walking on the busy streets of Tokyo.

"So you got a new haircut?" He finally said.

"It's a long story…" She said, a little annoyance seeping in her tone.

"Well we're going to be together all weekend so you have plenty of time." He said still curious.

Rukia took a deep breath as she remembered and started to tell her story.

* * *

><p><strong>**Flashback**<strong>

"Let's go, Renji! You offend me when you don't train with all you've got. I'm at the same level as you now, remember?" She gave him a smirk and launched herself to attack the redhead. Renji didn't hold back on purpose, it just came instinctively and he could never find the resolve to fight his childhood friend with full force.

"Let me see your Bankai!" She taunted and continued her attacks.

After a few minutes he was starting to get pestered by his friend. "I'll bring it if you can land a single hit on me." He said with a cocky grin.

That had done it. He was implying that she wasn't half as good as him. She was pissed. Her promotion to being a fuku-taichou was hard earned. She had the skills and was going to prove it. She was tired of idiot people thinking she was handed things for being a Kuchiki and even for being Ukitake's favorite. She launched herself at him again, but this time she observed the direction in which he was going to move. When she noticed him moving to the right, sode no shirayuki created a wall of ice. Renji's body hit the wall of ice and in the blink of an eye Rukia was right in front of him with her sword by his throat.

"Happy?" She said with a toothy smile.

Renji rolled his eyes. He still didn't want to use his bankai on her but he noticed they had attracted a large crowd of nosy shinigami and naturally, he would _not_ lose to her in front of all these people.

He held zabimaru and yelled, "BANKAI!"

"Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji said the name of his bankai with pride as the bony snake swirled around him. If Rukia wanted to see his bankai, he would give her what she wants.

After seeing that he finally complied she decided to release her bankai. It was still a work in progress but she wanted to practice using it in a mock battle so she could get a better feel for it.

"BANKAI!" She yelled.

"Shiroi tsuki no sakushi (white moon illusion)" She said gracefully as shimmering icy particles swirled around her. Her shinigami robes had turned a pure white. The obi tying her robes glistened as if it had diamond dust. The ends of her sleeves and hakama glistened in the same manner. Renji's eyes then went to her zanpakuto. It had changed form and on the other end it now had a white glistening scythe.

Renji was instantly frozen by her beauty. He had never seen her in her bankai form. Noticing his distraction she went to attack him but he suddenly realized her move and attacked back. She managed to escape from his counter attack. Suddenly the both stopped and people started whispering and gasping in the crowd.

"R-r-r-r-rukia…." Renji said astounded. She was going to kill him _for real_.

"What is it Renji?" She asked oblivious to what had happened.

Renji could only stare with a dropped jaw at the shinigami in front of him. She then noticed all the other nosy shinigami pointing and whispering at her…head? She went to reach for head and she felt less of her hair. She then looked down and found scattered black hair all over the ground.

"REEENJIIII!" She yelled furiously and started to chase him.

****end of flashback****

* * *

><p>"So basically he chopped up your hair…on accident." Ichigo said of the long story.<p>

"It's not that simple you blockhead! It's not about my hair. He humiliated me in front of everyone! Furthermore, he cut it so clumsily that the servant who cut my hair could barely make it look nice again." Rukia said angry reaching to feel the tips of her hair.

Ichigo stopped in the middle of the busy sidewalk and turned Rukia's slender frame to face him as people continued to pass by around them. He might not be the most tactful person in the world but he could always show Rukia how he felt. He moved his hand up to her bang and started twirling it around his finger as he looked deeply into her bright eyes.

"Even if Renji would have chopped off every single hair on your head you would still be beautiful." With that said he leaned down to kiss the love of his life. She blushed a little at the fact that they were in the middle of a very populated sidewalk. Ichigo noticed and smiled. He didn't care. He had never cared about what people thought and he wasn't about to start to now. "Now the next time I see him I'll make sure to show him _my_ bankai and kick his butt." He said with a smile. Rukia rolled her eyes at his inflated male ego.

They continued walking for a few more minutes. They finally reached a tall building and Ichigo lead them to the glass doors. They went up the elevator. Rukia could only look around at the place that Ichigo called home with inquisitive eyes. He had really grown up…

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about visiting on the weekends." Ichigo teased her a bit.

"Idiot! I'm just looking around. It's hard to believe you actually have a job _and_ a place of your own!" Rukia said smirking.

"Just for that comment I'll make you sleep on the couch!" Ichigo said scowling.

"Who said I was sleeping with you to begin with?" Rukia retorted and a blush made its way to Ichigo's cheeks.

Ichigo led the way and opened the door so Rukia could walk in. When she walked in she tried to not make her curiosity overly obvious. The door opened up to a wide living room with a couch, some bookshelves on the wall and a T.V., to the left there was a bright kitchen, and in between the kitchen and the living room there was a hallway that led to a door (Ichigo's bedroom). The wall adjacent to the living room had floor-to-ceiling windows and you could see the city.

"Very nice place Ichigo, you've come a long way." Rukia said smiling and clutching on to her bag. Seeing how much Ichigo's life had changed made her a little nervous.

Rukia and Ichigo stood by the living room for a moment. Neither knew what to do. He was still a little nervous at Rukia being over at his place and looking so grown-up. Rukia was also nervous of being around the grown-up Ichigo. It was funny how both were feeling the same way and yet didn't know it. This was going to make for an interesting weekend…

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><p>Hi everyone! I cut Rukia's hair off in this story because after reading the latest manga chapter I can only picture her with that cut :p. Also, I know Rukia doesn't have a bankai (that we know of yet hehe) but I thought it would be nice to give her one.<p>

Thanks for the awesome reviews and adding the story to your faves/alerts! You guys make me a happy writer =D


	11. Chapter 11

Hi everyone! I just wanted to warn you that although this chapter does not contain lemons, it is again implying certain things to be happening between Ichigo and Rukia ;).

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

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><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

****Ichigo's condo****

After the initial nervousness of the couple they eased up a little. Ichigo showed Rukia around and he had her put her bag of stuff in his room. They sat in the living room as they talked about their week among other things.

"So I was thinking I could show you around today and I could call the group to see if they want to hang out tonight. I'm sure they'll love to see you again." Ichigo said excited to be able to spend time with Rukia.

"Ok, but…have you told them about…us?" Rukia asked a bit unsure. The truth was that she was nervous about how things between her and Ichigo had developed. He had just broken off his three year relationship with his girlfriend, no, ex-girlfriend, to be with her again.

Ichigo easily caught on to what Rukia was thinking. "Not yet but you shouldn't worry about things like that…they already knew I wasn't really happy with Rin even before you came back. Besides, they would never judge us, you should now that!" Ichigo said reassuring her but she still didn't seem too convinced.

"I'll make you a deal. We'll go out to eat something now and if you're still feeling unsure about going out with everyone tonight we'll just hang out with them next weekend if you're able to come." He said with a smile and she nodded in agreement.

Ichigo took her to a small restaurant a few blocks from his place. Although it was small it was very popular and thus it was very crowded. They had the best hot buns around. They were waiting in line when the sky got dark and thunder roared. A few minutes later rain started pouring.

"So much for the plans of our first weekend together." Ichigo said looking out the restaurant's windows with a small frown.

"That's ok we can still have a nice time…unless you want me to go back home already?" She said trying to cheer him up.

"Next!" The person at the counter called.

Ichigo took the order to go and they headed back to his condo. He figured since it was only a few blocks away it shouldn't be that bad of a walk. Unfortunately, it was raining more than expected and by the time they got there they were soaked.

* * *

><p>"Nice call Ichigo, now my new clothes are soaked and my boots are all wet!" Rukia teased him as they got back in his condo.<p>

"Sorry, you can go in the shower first and I'll go after you." He said with a little sadness in his tone. Things weren't going as smoothly as he'd want them to go.

Rukia noticed. _'How can he still be such a whip about things like these?'_ She wondered. He always cared so much to make her (or anyone else) happy and when things went wrong he took it too hard.

"Here are some clean towels, shampoo, and all that stuff…I'll dry your clothes when you're done." He said still with a little dullness in his tone and proceeded to exit the bathroom.

Rukia looked around in awe of the nice bathroom (she hated to admit it but she was a bit nosey). The shower was very nice and ample and had many shower heads. She slowly started taking off the soaked clothes that clung to her now cold body. When she was done she went to turn on the shower but noticed it was a little fancier and different than the one at the Kurosaki household. She wrapped one of the white towels around her body and went to ask Ichigo for help.

"….that's what you do if you want the water to come out from all the shower heads or just the main one, and you press this and that's how you set the temperature." He finished his explanation a little nervously since Rukia was wearing only a towel after all.

Rukia noticed the effect she had on Ichigo. She wanted him to be happy and since she was in a playful mood decided to be a little naughty.

"Thank you!" She said and gave him a hug, "Ichigo, your body is so cold." She said feeling the coolness of his arms and chest.

"Yours is too, now get in the shower!" He said rapidly trying not to stare.

"But that would be very selfish of me…how about we go in together?" She said in an overly innocent tone.

"W-w-what?..." Was the only word that could come out of his mouth. She wasn't about to wait for Ichigo's fluency to come back any time soon. She started taking off the wet long sleeve shirt that was clinging on to his body, accentuating his abs. She then started undoing his belt and the button on his jeans, causing them to pool around his ankles. Ichigo couldn't move or talk. He got a glimpse of Rukia's playful nature last weekend, but he wasn't expecting it to show again so soon…or at such a random time.

She started pouring warm kisses on his cold upper body and running her hands through his chest and arms. She then got in the shower and signaled for him to go in. The steam filled the shower as they continued on what Rukia started…

* * *

><p>-some time later—<p>

Rukia walked around inspecting Ichigo's room wearing one of his t-shirts since she didn't have anything else to wear. Ichigo was lying happily in his bed. _'Looks like we'll have to build up his stamina'_ Rukia thought mischievously.

"So what are we going to do now?" Rukia said as she jumped on his comfortable bed.

"It's still raining out…would you like to just stay in and watch movies?" He asked.

"All I ever do back in soul society is work all day so staying in and being lazy sounds perfect. Although we have to go to the store and get some snacks, I checked your cabinets and they're full of boring stuff!" She said.

"So you just look grown up on the outside but you're still the same annoying Rukia on the inside!" Ichigo said with a smirk.

"Don't get so cocky and remember your place Ichigo! You're so rusty from not having shinigami duties anymore that I could probably beat you before you even realize that I did!" She said with an evil laugh pointing a finger at him.

He gently tackled her on the bed and they played around until Rukia brought up going to get snacks again.

The couple went to the store and got a few snacks. Ichigo wanted to get a box of chocolate chip cookies but Rukia decided to get a cookie mix instead and make the cookies herself.

* * *

><p>Rukia and Ichigo were sitting on the couch watching a horror movie –per Rukia's request-.<p>

*beep*beep*

"Oh! The cookies are done!" Rukia said and ran to the kitchen.

Ichigo looked over from the couch and watched as Rukia took the freshly baked cookies out of the oven. There she was in his kitchen, wearing his shirt, and making him chocolate chip cookies. Seeing her like that got him thinking about the future. How would everything work out with her being a fuku-taichou in soul society and him having a career as a teacher in his world? Eventually one of them would have to be the one to give up their world for the other. Ichigo smiled because he already knew the answer to his questions. He would give up _anything_ to be with her.

She made her way back to the living room to place the bowl of cookies on the table by the couch and went back to the kitchen to get them both glasses of milk.

"Thank you." Ichigo said with a big smile on his face.

"You're welcome." She smiled back and gave him a small kiss on the lips. She was happy to see him relaxed.

They continued to watch the horror movie and eat their cookies. After Rukia's movie was over it was Ichigo's turn to pick one out. He put it in and went to make some popcorn while Rukia inspected the bookshelf. She noticed a small velvet box next to some books. She went to grab it and was about to open it when Ichigo yelled from the kitchen.

"R-r-rukia!" he said slightly nervous.

It was too late. She opened the small box and saw the diamond ring. Her eyes went wide open in shock.

"Ichigo…this…you were going to marry Rin?" She said surprised.

"I didn't…I mean obviously I didn't…" He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to hide anything from Rukia and decided to just be honest, "I was going to propose last weekend. I had already told my dad and sisters which is why I went to Karakura. They told me to invite her over for dinner so I could do it then…but then we met again and I couldn't bring myself to do it anymore." He said. His brown eyes full of remorse.

"So if it wasn't because we happened to meet you would have been willing to marry and spend the rest of your life with someone whom you knew you didn't love?" Rukia said disappointed of the orange haired man. She looked deeply into his brown eyes. Although she knew she loved him she couldn't be around him at the moment.

She put the velvet box back on the bookshelf, left the living room and headed to Ichigo's bedroom. Ichigo was going to give her some space but then he heard rummaging and zipper noises. She was packing her stuff.

"Rukia what are you doing? You don't have to leave!" He said with desperation in his voice.

"I know I don't have to but I _need_ to." She said as calm as she possibly could.

"It's raining out and it's late…just stay over tonight and you can leave early in the morning if you'd like…" He pleaded.

"Ichigo stop. I'm not a child that you constantly need to protect, remember? I'm putting my things away so that if it's ok with you I can leave them here…along with my gigai." She said.

He looked at her unwilling to accept the turn of events. He loved her and only wanted to be with her, but at the same time he knew she needed some space and she was powerful enough to protect herself, especially in her shinigami form. He nodded in agreement.

She exited her gigai and put everything in the hallway closet.

"I'll try to come next weekend but you obviously know I can't guarantee it." She was about to leave when she felt Ichigo's warm hand on hers. She looked up to see him.

"Rukia, I won't make up any excuses for my past, it is something I can't change. The only thing I want you to know and to never forget is that I love you and I always will." He said with sad eyes.

Her eyes started getting watery. She already knew that but she needed time to digest these things. She knew things in soul society where different than things in the world of the living. For all she knew she would have ended up with Kain in a few more years as well.

She reached up and caressed his cheek. She then lifted her head up and grazed her lips on his.

"I love you too…goodbye, Ichigo." She said and shunpoed away.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! So this chapter has a bit of angst since Rukia and Ichigo had their first argument :(. I was sad writing this but they need these sorts of things to grow-up!<p>

Hope you guys liked the chapter, review and let me know! =D


	12. Chapter 12

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update, it's been a busy week for me :/.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

* * *

><p>Ichigo turned off the T.V. and stood in the living room dazed. Him and Rukia had finally started to have a nice time together when this happened…<em>'I'm such an idiot'<em> He thought. He blamed himself for hurting Rukia's feelings. It wasn't too late still and he didn't feel like being home so he called a few of his friends to see if they could go out for a bit.

****A trendy restaurant/bar****

Ichigo, Keigo, Mizuiro, and Chad sat at a round table by the bar area. Ishida wasn't able to come because he was studying for his upcoming exams.

"….and after seeing what was supposed to be Rin's engagement ring we got into an argument and she left." Ichigo finished the long story with a slight frown.

"Damn Ichigo you move fast!" Keigo said.

"You didn't even tell us you were going to propose to Rin and now we find out you're back with Kuchiki-san?" Mizuiro said and then went back to scanning the area for any girls that might interest him.

"It sounds bad when you say it like that but I didn't mean for things to happen like that. I didn't want to marry Rin to begin with but it seemed like the most logical thing to do since I had been with her for so long…I also didn't think I'd see Rukia again." Ichigo said and took a sip of his drink.

"Love is not about logic Ichigo. For example, when has your relationship with Kuchiki ever made any logical sense? You should understand Kuchiki's need for space. She _is_ a girl after all, girls are like that. We all know she loves you and probably always will but what if you two hadn't met last weekend? You would have already promised to give your life to someone else. How do you think that made her feel?" Chad said with a serious face and everyone stared. Even now he never really said much but when he did it was full of meaning.

All Ichigo could do was quickly down his drink. It pained him that he could come off like such a jerk sometimes. But what hurt the most was hurting her.

"So I noticed there are some holes in your story." Mizuiro said suspiciously. "You said last weekend you met Kuchiki-san late at night before heading back to Tokyo but didn't give us enough details since you fumbled your words and skipped to the Rin part quickly. You also said you were almost late for work on Monday and that Rin had a terribly scrutinizing look. Connecting the dots it means that you and Kuchiki-san must have been doing something that kept you two together longer than expected…at night." He finished with an evil smile.

"You lucky bastard!" Keigo said with joy and asked for another round of drinks. "You…and _my_ Kuchiki-san?"

Ichigo turned to look away from his lively group of friends with a slight blush and a smile. He didn't confirm nor deny what had happened that night. If they only knew what he did today in the shower with her….his sly smile grew wider and he started to get lost in his thoughts thinking about his time with Rukia.

"So how are you planning on making it up to her?" Mizuiro asked bringing him back to earth.

"You should throw her a welcome back party, that way we can all see her and make her feel comfortable around us again." Keigo said excited.

"That's actually a good idea. The problem is that she might or might not be able to come next weekend. I won't know until she calls and tells me she's here." Ichigo said.

"Is there any way you could make sure she can make it?" Chad asked.

"I could go to soul society, although I haven't been there in a long time…maybe I could ask Renji?" Ichigo said.

"Didn't that Renji guy have feelings for Kuchuki-san? Doesn't that make you jealous Ichigo?" Keigo asked raising his eyebrows up and down. He could be such an instigator at times.

"Ichigo can get jealous of pretty much anyone. He used to get jealous of you back when you used to take Kuchiki-san to the haunted house." Mizuiro said in a cheery tone.

"W-who told you those lies?" Ichigo said offended although he knew it was the truth.

"It's called observing. You'd always be grumpy the following day after her and Keigo would hang out." Mizuiro said smiling.

"You better watch out Ichigo, if you keep making my beautiful Kuchiki-san sad soon she'll find her way in my arms where she belongs." Keigo said hugging himself.

Everyone sweat dropped. Keigo still acted like he was in high school sometimes.

"I made up my mind. I'm going to soul society!" Ichigo said proudly and stood up.

"Now?" The three friends asked putting their drinks down.

"Yea, I'm not tired. It's now or never because during the week I'm too busy with work. Some of us have regular work schedules you know?" Ichigo said looking at Keigo. Keigo was part of a small thriving business that was very successful in the gaming industry. It allowed him a very flexible schedule.

Ichigo said his goodbyes and headed to his condo to get ready to leave. It would be a long night but maybe once he got to soul society he could just spend the night at Renji's place or something…he'd figure it out.

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

The night was calm and airy. Rukia couldn't sleep so she decided to take a walk in the Kuchiki gardens. Her face had dried up tears on her cheeks. She was having a hard time accepting Ichigo's past. Maybe it was harder on her because it was all so recent. She couldn't stop thinking about the "what ifs". What if she hadn't gone last weekend? Ichigo would have continued on with his average human life. Was he so unhappy with everything that he was willing to live a lie? She continued walking in the gardens until her mind calmed down.

Byakuya kept an observant eye on his sister as she walked the gardens. He knew she didn't talk to him about Ichigo because she thought he practically hated the guy, so he had to get all his information from Renji. Renji had told him Rukia was going to go see Ichigo on the weekends to try and give their relationship another try.

'_And it has only been one day. Kurosaki Ichigo, just what did you do to my sister?'_ Byakuya wondered as he sat on his comfortable big cushion outside of his bedroom. He had made up his mind on the matter and decided he would not interfere in Rukia's choices, but seeing her like that was making it very hard for him to mind his business.

* * *

><p>-A few hours later-<p>

The senkaimon doors closed behind Ichigo. It was strange, he never thought he'd see that place again. Soul society held a special place within Ichigo as it brought up many Rukia-drenched memories in his heart. Ichigo stood on a rooftop as he let the cool breeze caress his face, his shinigami robes waving in the wind.

He felt the hilt of Zangetsu, his faithful companion in the battlefield. Thinking about it, being in his shinigami form felt liberating in comparison to his human form. In his shinigami form he felt free as a bird. His human form felt like an anchor, heavily weighing him down the ground and forcing him to live a usually unexciting human life.

After a few minutes of reminiscing, Ichigo decided to feel for Renji's reiatsu and head over to him. He wasn't in the mood of being questioned if anyone found him hanging around. Since he basically saved soul society after the Aizen battle he didn't think he'd get in trouble, but it was soul society after all, they always made a big deal about everything.

* * *

><p>Byakuya's eyes sprung open. Was this…Kurosaki's reiatsu? It had to be. He quickly got up and shunpoed towards the orange haired shinigami.<p>

Ichigo was almost by the 6th division barracks when…

"Kurosaki Ichigo" A cool voice called from behind.

Ichigo froze instantly. He unwillingly turned to face the noble.

"Byakuya…" He croaked.

"Why are you here?" Byakuya asked in his usual icy tone.

"I came to see Renji." Ichigo said nervously. He had not seen Byakuya in years and he wasn't planning on it so soon.

"Is that so…" Byakuya said and gave Ichigo a death glare as his hand reached for senbonzakura.

"H-h-h-hold on a second! Why are you hassling me? I didn't do anything to you!" Ichigo said when he noticed the noble reaching for his sword.

"You hurt Rukia. Therefore, you _did_ commit an aggression against me." Byakuya said with anger drenched words.

Ichigo didn't know what to say. He did hurt Rukia. But how did Byakuya know? Did Rukia tell him about them? He didn't want to waste his time with the man and decided to just be honest. He'd be honest again and hopefully this time his honesty wouldn't get him in trouble.

"I'm sorry for hurting Rukia. I know it's not the first time but that's why I'm here…I want to make it up to her." Ichigo said with a gloomy look on his face. "I wanted to see if Renji could help me make sure Rukia makes it to my world next weekend for a surprise party."

"What makes you think Renji has the authority to make sure of something like that?" Byakuya asked.

"I'm not sure that he does but I know he'd try anything if it means it'll make her happy." He said.

Byakuya started at Ichigo for a while. He seemed like really wanted to work things out with Rukia. He decided to give Ichigo a chance. Of course, he'd have a little fun first.

Byakuya shunpoed quickly to the orange haired shinigami so that they were face to face, his sub-zero glare freezing Ichigo on the inside.

"If you ever hurt Rukia again and I am made aware of it, senbonzakura will fall down on you so hard there won't be any traces of you left by the time I'm done with you." He said in an eerie calm tone.

Ichigo's palms got sweaty as he thought about the creepy pink petals but nodded in agreement.

"Follow me." Byakuya said and shunpoed away.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

Byakuya had the servants prepare one of the many guest bedrooms for Ichigo to stay. He asked them to prepare the one closest to his bedroom; he wanted to keep a close eye on Ichigo.

"It's late. You may stay over tonight and apologize to Rukia tomorrow, and about your little surprise, I will talk to Ukitake and make sure Rukia is able to go." Byakuya said and walked away.

Ichigo laid on the futon in the "guest bedroom", which was still more than twice as big as his bedroom back home. He opened the sliding doors slightly to let the cool breeze in. He noticed he had a view of the gardens.

Since he couldn't sleep he sat on the ledge and thought about Rukia. She lived in this big mansion with Byakuya. Although she was his adopted sister they were quite similar. Both kept their emotions to themselves and constantly kept a cool face on the outside. They lived in this huge mansion and had everything soul society could possibly provide. Were they happy? Did they ever get lonely?

Although Byakuya was a noble and had a high ranking position he was a widower. The love of his life had died many years ago. Rukia also had a sad past. She was abandoned as a baby, lived in a merciless area growing up, and had to work very hard to become a shinigami until she was finally adopted by Byakuya. And then there was the Kaien thing…she had never told him herself but he had heard other shinigami say that she might have loved him. It was strange to think about their circumstances but putting them into perspective helped him understand both a little better.

After all that thinking Ichigo was finally ready to sleep. He headed back in the bedroom, closed the sliding doors and went to lie down on the futon.

* * *

><p>-Next morning—<p>

Ichigo was woken up by some knocking on the door. It was a servant informing him that breakfast was ready.

He got dressed quickly. He must have been very tired to be sleeping in at Byakuya's house. When he opened the sliding doors of the bedroom the servant was still there. She guided him to the dining area.

Rukia and Byakuya sat regally at the large table, the variety of food on it was plenty. They ate quietly when suddenly Ichigo appeared by the door.

"I-i-ichigo?" Rukia said surprised. "What…what are you doing here?"

"He came to see you last night but since it was too late I asked him to stay the night." Byakuya said and continued eating.

Ichigo nervously sat by the siblings. His hunger disappeared due to the awkwardness of being there.

"Well are you going to stare at us or are you going to join us?" Byakuya finally said.

"T-t-thank you." Ichigo said and reached for some food with a shaky hand.

Rukia looked at him from the corner of her eye and continued eating. She was still a little hurt by what happened last night between them. Byakuya noticed their interactions so he quickly finished eating and excused himself. Shorty after Rukia finished but waited until Ichigo was done.

"Is it ok if we go for a walk…outside of the mansion?" Ichigo asked. He wanted to talk to Rukia but not near her eavesdropping brother.

"Ok." Rukia said and they left the mansion.

Walking on the streets with Rukia was different from years before. Since she was a fuku-taichou now random shinigami greeted her formally. She also looked a bit intimidating with her badge and new haircut, not to mention the Kuchiki gloves.

"So you came all the way over here to apologize?" She asked since he wasn't talking.

"I'm sorry for the way things happened. I understand that the way I handled my relationship with Rin was not very honest, but you have to understand I didn't think you were going to go back. I care about you more than you can ever imagine Rukia. I love you, and if we're going to give this a try I know things are not going to be perfect but you have to trust me." He said looking into her deep violet eyes.

"Yeah…I'm sorry too. It was unlike me to let things get to me the way that they did last night…I love you too." She said and wrapped her arms around him. He lifted her chin and gave her a passionate kiss. This trully was how things were supposed to be...

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><p>Hi again! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review :)<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

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><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

Ichigo and Rukia said their goodbyes. Ichigo told her he was going to go and say hi to Renji and his squad before leaving. She found it odd that he didn't want her to go with him but left anyway.

"A surprise party huh?" Renji said.

"I'm not sure of the details but it's probably going to be a low-key party with mostly close friends from my world. You can come if you're able to." Ichigo said.

"I'll see what I can do." Renji said.

The two friends were enjoying their talk as they walked on the streets of soul society when they felt someone's presence.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo heard a familiar voice.

"Kain?" Ichigo said as both him and Renji stared at the conceited man.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Kain asked. "It appears that Rukia dragged some trash along to Soul Society. It should be expected I guess, she seems to attract it anywhere she goes." He said insulting Renji as well.

"You annoying stuck up ass! I'll show you what this "trash" can do when insulted by pretty boys like you!" Renji said and was about to launch himself at the noble when Ichigo stopped him.

"Don't waste your breath or energy on this idiot Renji. This jerk is just burning on the inside because no matter what he does Rukia will never be interested in him. So sad, nobility and money can do nothing to win a pretty girl's heart." Ichigo said and gave him a sarcastic smile. "Let's go Renji. He's not supposed to associate himself with the likes of us."

"You better watch out, next time you instigate or pull something like that again Ichigo won't be around to stop me." Renji said and turned to walk away with his friend.

"Imbeciles! Who do they think they're talking to?" Kain was left fuming in the street. He could hear the giggles of a few nosey shinigami in the street. He rolled his eyes and decided to head back to his mansion.

* * *

><p><strong>**World of the Living**<strong>

-A few days later—

Ichigo was at work later than usual because he had a lot of work to finish up. Suddenly his phone rang.

"Rukia?"

"Hey!" Rukia said.

"What's up? It's only Wednesday…are you here?" He asked putting his pen down.

"No silly, I wanted to let you know that Ukitake taichou already gave me permission to go this weekend!" She said excited.

"That's great!" He said pretending to be surprised.

"So you better plan something exciting for us to do!" She said.

"I will…but is it ok if we see our friends sometime this weekend too? I already told them about us and they _all _can't wait to see you." Ichigo said trying to reassure her.

"Yea that's ok. I want to see everyone again too." She said happily.

"Ok…well I kind of have to go because I'm still at work and need to finish a few things but I'll see you in a few days." He said.

"Ok. I love you." She said. Ichigo smiled at the sound of those three little words. He could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone.

"I love you too Rukia." He said smiling himself.

They said goodbye and hung up. It was now going to be harder for Ichigo to concentrate on his work. He was happy they had their phones to keep in touch. Even If they couldn't see each other during the week they could still talk whenever they wanted to.

Unbeknownst to Ichigo, Rin stood by the door and had heard all of his conversation with Rukia. She didn't mean to eavesdrop at first. She had been meaning to go and talk to Ichigo, but when she heard the conversation darkness overtook her. _'So they are seeing each other on the weekends, huh?'_ She thought maliciously.

* * *

><p>-Friday—<p>

Rukia walked the busy streets of Tokyo with Inoue and Tatsuki. They were clothes shopping and catching up.

"I'm so happy you're back Kuchiki-san! We missed you." Inoue said in her usual cheery tone.

"Yea none of us thought you were going to leave for good…including Ichigo." Tatsuki said.

"I know. Back then I thought it would be for the best." Rukia said.

"Well that's ok, you guys accomplished a lot in the time you were apart and now you're together again! You guys are truly meant to be!" Inoue said.

"Thanks Inoue." Rukia said and smiled at the girl.

"I'm so relieved Ichigo didn't end up with Rin, she was such a snooze! Whenever we would hang out with her and Ichigo you could tell Ichigo was bored out of his mind. He would just smile and nod like a robot. She was just too nice or something." Tatsuki said making a face.

Rukia smiled. She was happy to know their friends still cared about her.

The three girls continued to shop around and then went to get something to eat. When they were done they headed their separate ways. Although Tatsuki and Inoue knew of the surprise party, they pretended like they didn't and told Rukia that they should hang out again soon.

* * *

><p>**ding dong**<p>

Ichigo ran to the door.

"Hey!" He said with a big smile.

"Hey!" She said smiling back.

He saw the bags of clothing his girlfriend was holding and was relieved to have been relaxing at home instead of shopping at a bunch of girl stores.

"So I see you had a good time. I told you there was nothing to be nervous about!" Ichigo said.

Rukia rolled her eyes and continued to walk to Ichigo's room. She set the bags of clothes on his bed and started taking her purchases out.

"So I figured since you were going to be staying here whenever possible you were going to need some space to leave your things so I cleared up most of the left side of the closet for you." Ichigo said sliding the closet door.

He kept going on and showing her the drawers and the various compartments but Rukia had stopped listening long ago. She had only heard the first sentence and was happy to know Ichigo had been thinking about her. She launched to him and gave him a big hug, little things like that were part of the reason she loved him so much.

He turned his head to see her and looked at her with those loving eyes of his. He turned his body and hugged her back.

* * *

><p>-Saturday—<p>

It was late in the morning. Rukia and Ichigo were still sleeping. Ichigo slept in on the weekends because those were the only days he could sleep in. Rukia started to open her eyes. She was such an energy ball and never really slept in even when she had the chance. When she woke up she was happily reminded of where she was; in Ichigo's warm embrace. She took a deep breath and smiled. She loved waking up to him.

She slowly untangled herself from him and headed to the kitchen. She thought it was her turn to do something nice for Ichigo and decided to make him breakfast in bed.

It had been a long time since Rukia cooked something (besides baking last weekend's cookies). She had learned a few years back thanks to Yuzu but after she went back to soul society she hadn't practiced her skills because the mansion's servants took care of everything. She put on a brave face and decided to give it a try anyway.

She looked in Ichigo's cabinets to see what she could make. Ichigo must have gone grocery shopping because surprisingly he had a wide variety of items to choose from. She decided to make Ichigo fried eggs with rice. She also noticed he had a spicy looking sauce that was almost empty. She figured it must be his favorite and decided to add it to the eggs.

Ichigo opened his sleepy eyelids and felt around for Rukia on the bed. He noticed she was gone, he also noticed a tasty food smell coming from the kitchen. He got up from bed and headed to the kitchen.

He saw Rukia in one of his t-shirts (again) moving about getting things ready. He decided to give her a surprise hug so he wrapped his arms from behind her, nuzzled his head in her neck and took in her scent. She smelled like him.

"Good morning" He said in a husky voice.

"Good morning" Rukia said and put her hands over his, "although I'm happy to see you I want you to go back to bed and wait for me!" She said. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek and did as told. He was really enjoying the feeling of being spoiled by her.

A few minutes later she walked in holding a tray of food. Ichigo sat up and she put it by him. He was delighted. The food's presentation looked like it had been arranged by a chef so he looked at it a bit suspiciously.

"That's how they arrange it at the mansion. I thought I'd give it a try and apparently it worked since you look surprised." She said with a smirk.

Now he was scared. Maybe it looked delicious but it actually wasn't? He was thinking too much. He loved Rukia and he was sure he would love her food. He took a bite of the eggs. They moved around in his mouth as he chewed slowly and…they were perfect. She had even used his favorite sauce.

When they were done with breakfast Rukia's eyes shone with happiness. She could tell Ichigo had enjoyed his breakfast. She got up from the bed and was about to take the tray to the kitchen when Ichigo stopped her. He instead put the trey next to the bed and brought Rukia back to the bed.

"What are you doing?" She asked a little impatient.

"Cleaning up can wait." He said with a playful smile.

He hovered over her and started pouring warm kisses on her neck and jaw. He then proceeded to caress her cheek and kiss her slowly on the lips. She didn't really care for that spicy sauce taste but she would tolerate it for him. He looked at her with a certain longing look….she had an idea of what it meant and a smile crept up her face. Spending the weekends at Ichigo's place were proving to be better than she ever imagined.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! So this chapter was a little short but full of IchiRuki fluff ;).<p>

Hope you guys liked it. R-n-R =D


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

In order to keep the party a surprise, Ichigo had planned to have someone keep Rukia busy for the evening. His sisters had managed to be able to go to Tokyo for the party so Rukia left with them.

"So Rukia-chan, how do you feel now that you're coming over to see onii-chan on the weekeneds?" Yuzu asked.

"I love it! I feel like we're getting to know each other better." Rukia said.

"I can tell he really loves having you on the weekends too. There's something about the energy around him when you guys are together…we feel more at ease because we know he's truly happy." Karin said.

The three girls continued talking and having a good time. Yuzu and Karin's plan was to take Rukia dress shopping so she would look stunning for the party. The excuse they used was that it would be a nice surprise for Rukia to get dressed up for Ichigo. It must have worked because Rukia didn't think twice about it and was having a great time looking for dresses.

She ended up buying a strapless flowing violet dress that was a little above the knee, black strappy heels, and a black cardigan since it was a bit chilly. They also went to get her make-up done. At the make up store they had many different fragrances and perfumes. A little glass bottle caught Rukia's eye...

* * *

><p>Ichigo went to the store to buy snacks, chips, and drinks for the party. He also bought a few decorations. He didn't really like decorating but he knew a few balloons and streamers here and there would make Rukia happy. He was done in no time since his place wasn't too big. He had asked everyone to arrive at 8 p.m. and Karin and Yuzu to try to not come back before 9 p.m.<p>

He went to take a shower and get ready for the party. He put on dark blue jeans and a button up but casual blue shirt. He sat in the living room to watch T.V. when the doorbell rang. He got up to receive his first guest.

"Hey." He said unenthusiastically and walked back to the couch.

"What do you mean 'hey'? I'm a guest too!" Keigo said as he made his way to a chair.

"Well you come here a lot so you being here is no longer a surprise." Ichigo said as he flipped through channels.

Tatsuki, Mizuiro, and Chad arrived separately a few minutes later. They sat in the dining room and ate some snacks.

The doorbell rang again and Tatsuki went to get it. It was Ishida and Inoue; they came in hand in hand.

"Hi everyone!" Inoue said with a loud and cheery tone. Inoue's hair was slightly messy and Ishida's shirt was wrinkled. Everyone sweat dropped but decided to not say anything. They had been like that since high school so no one expected anything different now.

The couple sat in the loveseat and started watching whatever show Ichigo was currently watching.

Ichigo looked around the room. Everyone he had invited was already there, now they would only have to wait for his sisters and Rukia.

**ding dong**

"Ok everyone! I know this is cheesy but when I open the door everyone needs to yell 'surprise'" Ichigo said a little embarrassed of his request.

"Awww Kurosaki-kun you're so sweet!" Inoue said. Ichigo tried to ignore the comment and opened the door.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled at the same time.

They were greeted by a group of surprised shinigami indeed.

"Renji…." Ichigo said dumbfounded as he held the door open.

"Yo!" Renji said and walked in.

"What a nice host isn't he taichou?" Matsumoto said as she walked in wearing a revealing red dress followed by a scowling Hitsugaya.

"What's happening!" Ikkaku said and walked in as he put his hand around his wooden sword.

"Hello!" Yumichika said inspecting the place immediately instead of looking at the surprised host.

Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes. Do shinigami have any sense of etiquette at all? He _had_ invited Renji after all, he should have seen it coming. He closed the door and was about to go back to his spot on the couch –oh wait it was taken- when the doorbell rang again.

**ding dong**

This time Ichigo took a peek on the door's peephole and his jaw dropped. He had forgotten that he had invited two of the guys that he worked with to the party (mostly to show off Rukia).

"Ok everyone! I have some other guests coming that _don't_ know about shinigami and all that stuff so try to act normal!" Ichigo said with panic in his voice.

"As if that was even possible." Hitsugaya said sarcastically and rolled his eyes away from the orange haired man.

"Don't you worry just leave it to me Kurosaki-kun!" Matsumoto said and winked at Ichigo as she adjusted her giant breasts.

Ichigo sweat dropped and nervously opened the door.

"Hey guys." He welcomed them to his now crowded place.

The two guys greeted Ichigo and walked in. After looking around and noticing the strange group of guests they decided to hit the bar area and make themselves some drinks. As if by instinct, Matsumoto noticed and was next to the men in a second.

* * *

><p>It was almost nine and everyone was starting to get comfortable. The T.V. was now off and had been replaced by loud music. It was surprising that so many people fit in Ichigo's condo.<p>

The doorbell time it was sure to be Rukia. Ichigo checked through the door's peephole and saw her and his sisters. Rukia was making a weird face. _'She must be internally complaining about my loud music.' _Ichigo thought.

"Ok everyone it's her!" He said and everyone gathered around. He slowly opened the door.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled _almost_ in unison. Apparently the drinks were already getting to Matsumoto and Ichigo's two co-workers.

Rukia felt as if she had been frozen on the spot by Sode no Shirayuki. She was undeniably surprised. Ichigo noticed so he held her hand and slightly pulled her in. Rukia looked around happily surprised to see all the familiar faces that were there to welcome her back not only into Ichigo's life but theirs as well. All except for her shinigami comrades. She had no idea what the heck they were doing there.

"My beautiful Kuchiki-saaaan!" Keigo was heard yelling as he made his way to Rukia and gave her a big bear hug. "The first hug belongs to me!" He said. She smiled and hugged him back. Ichigo was itching to scrape him away from _his_ Rukia but decided to play it cool and look away.

She was then greeted by the rest of the guests.

Ishida complimented her on her ensemble and her nice taste in clothes.

Mizuiro gave her his best lady-killer smile and said that her new look made her look more mature and he was _definitely_ liking it. Ichigo looked at him with daggers eyes for checking out his Rukia and hastily put his arm around her.

Ichigo's two co-workers made their way to the couple.

"Rukia these are two friends I work with, Nakano and Yamada." Ichigo said.

"Nice to meet you." Rukia said politely. They made small talk for a few more minutes. Both of the men were impressed. Just how did Ichigo manage to get with such attractive women? He didn't even put the effort!

* * *

><p>Everyone was having a good time when the doorbell rang. Ichigo found it strange, he wasn't expecting anyone else. More shinigami maybe?<p>

"I'll get it." Rukia said and went to open the door. She was met by a pair of angry eyes.

Rin completely ignored Rukia and after staring her down stormed off. She started scanning the room for Ichigo. It wasn't hard to spot the only bright orange head in the room. She touched his shoulder to get his attention.

Ichigo turned around and was met by angry brown eyes.

"So we've only been broken up for like two weeks and you're already celebrating your man-stealing girlfriend's return to your stupid life?" Rin said spitefully.

Ichigo turned red with embarrassment. He didn't want to argue with the small woman in front of everyone. He was about to grab her arm and take her to a more secluded place when Tatsuki, Inoue and Matsumoto arrived at the scene with Rukia in tow.

"How low can you go to try and sabotage someone's party?" Tatsuki said.

"How low can _I_ go? How low can that woman go!" Rin said pointing to Rukia, "She took Ichigo from me!"

"I don't really know who you are but I'm going to guess you're a scorned ex of Kurosaki-kun. Let me tell you my dear that our Kuchiki-san didn't 'take' him away from you. He was simply never yours." Matsumoto chimed in with a creepy happy tone. It must have been the drinks.

"Now if you know what's good for you I'd say it's time for you to leave." Tatsuki said with an intimidating look and Inoue nodded trying to imitate her.

"This does not concern any of you. And I won't leave, not until I settle things with that tramp!" Rin said with an accusing finger towards Rukia again.

Everyone gasped. The fight was getting interesting. By now everyone had their eyes on the scene Rin was causing.

Rukia was fuming beause of the insults. She was mad she ever felt bad for the stupid girl.

Although Rukia could kick anyone's butt in no time, she was not hot headed. She would only use her power when needed. Unfortunately for Rin though, Rukia was not a push over. If offended or wronged she _would_ bite back.

"You bitch!" Rin yelled and launched herself at Rukia. She went to try and slap her but Rukia caught her wrist and smirked.

"You just picked on the wrong girl!" Rukia said in a smooth tone.

Rin forcefully pulled her wrist back and instead of a slap she tried to put all her human power into one punch. Naturally, Rukia easily dodged it which caused the scorned girl to fumble forwards and hit her body against a couch.

Rin pushed herself up and turned to look at the still intact and confident Rukia.

"I don't want to fight you, it wouldn't be a fair fight and I'm not that type of person." She said with a smirk still on her face. "I'm sorry things between you and Ichigo didn't work out, but if I _ever_ see your face around here again I won't hesitate to use force. Like Tatsuki said, I think it's time you left." Rukia said and just to piss her off went to hold Ichigo's hand.

Rin felt like a complete fool. She was angry not only at Ichigo and Rukia but at herself. She gave them one last look before leaving with her tail between her legs.

Everyone cheered after Rin left causing Rukia and Ichigo to blush at the outburst. It was a little cruel but so what? That's what she got for her name-calling and starting fights in other people's parties.

The party went on for several more hours, basically until the alcohol was gone.

A frisky Inoue and an embarrassed Ishida left together. Keigo was crying because he didn't want to leave but him and Chad ended up leaving to stay at Mizuiro's place. Matsumoto had decided to go with Mizuiro as well -against Hitsugaya's advice-, and Ikkaku and Yumichika left together because they wanted to explore the city.

Renji gave Ichigo puppy eyes and Ichigo already knew what he was asking so offered for him and Hitsugaya to stay the night as well.

After all the commotion of who was leaving and who was staying peace returned to Ichigo's condo. Yuzu and Karin were sleeping on the couch and Renji and Hitsugaya put some blankets down and slept on the living room's floor.

* * *

><p>Ichigo closed the door behind him. He was happy to finally be in his room alone with Rukia. She had already took off her black cardigan and shoes and was only wearing her dress.<p>

"You look beautiful." He said softly as he admired his pretty girl in her new dress.

"Thank you." She said as she rummaged through her drawer looking for something.

"Did you like your party?" He asked as he unbuttoned his blue shirt.

"You have no idea how much…thank you." She said softly and walked to the nightstand placing a small glass bottle on it. She then went to give Ichigo a warm embrace.

"I'm happy." He said kissing the top of her head and hugged her back.

Rukia knew he put a lot of effort into her welcome party and wanted to show him just how happy she was.

Since his shirt was already unbuttoned, her hands traveled from his defined hard abs to his muscular arms, removing the shirt off his shoulders and off his body.

She then pushed Ichigo on the bed, his back landing on the soft white comforters.

"Turn around." She demanded.

"What?" He was confused.

"Shhh." She said putting a finger on his lips. "Just do as I say." Ichigo obliged. He didn't want to get into a bickering fight and wake up his sisters.

She opened the small bottle on the night stand and rubbed the liquid on her hands. She then pushed herself up on the bed to straddle Ichigo and started rubbing the warm oil on his back. He let out a content sigh. Rukia gave his tense muscles a massage.

"You're awesome…"Ichigo said quietly as he enjoyed his girlfriend's traveling hands all over his body.

"I know." She said and brought herself closer to his neck grazing it with her lips. It brought chills up Ichigo's spine. She then started kissing him gently on his neck and shoulders. The party might have been over but the night was still young for the couple in love.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone, thank you for the awesome reviews and for adding the story to your favesalerts! I tried to add more fluff in this chapter since I know you guys like it ;)

Don't forget to review. =D


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

The following morning Ichigo woke up feeling refreshed thanks to Rukia's massage. He noticed she was still sleeping so decided to quietly leave the room to go check on everyone else. When he got to the living room they were gone. There was a note on the table that read: '_Ichi-nii: Renji, Toshiro, Yuzu and I went to get breakfast. We'll be back soon! Karin.' _Ichigo smiled and decided to go and cuddle with Rukia some more since she was leaving today.

Fifteen minutes later Ichigo heard the group of people come back. Rukia squirmed a bit but remained sleeping. _'She must be really tired.'_ Ichigo thought as he stared at her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful. He wished he could provide that type of peacefulness every morning for her. Unfortunately, their lives were a little complicated at the moment. He shook the deep thoughts out of his head and decided to leave her sleeping some more.

"Good morning!" Yuzu said happy to see her brother.

"Good morning" Ichigo said as he scratched his head.

Renji gave the messy haired man a skeptical look, cleared his throat and said, "Ichigo, I noticed you don't have a spare bedroom. Does that mean that Rukia and you…sleep in the same bed every weekend?"

Karin snickered, Yuzu blushed, and Hitsugaya's eyes popped out of his eyes. Everyone assumed that was the case but knew it was none of their business. Rukia and Ichigo were adults after all.

"What of it?" Ichigo answered firmly.

"Oh nothing...let me just give you some friendly advice though" He said and then smirked, "_don't_ let my taichou find out otherwise you're going to be in deep sh—" He was interrupted by a happy Rukia walking in the kitchen.

"Good morning!" She said and sat next to Ichigo. Everyone said good morning but she noticed the strange mood at the table. "What's wrong?"

"Abarai was stating the obvious." Hitsugaya chimed in and continued eating.

Rukia still had a confused look on her face. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and continued with his answer, "Kuchiki, you know how the nobles are about certain...things. " Crap. This was the reason why he never commented on other people's business. He didn't know how to continue but decided to give it a try and not come off too blunt, "No one expects Kurosaki to own a mansion with an absurd amount of rooms, but try to keep quiet about you and Kurosaki sharing one." He said as he blushed slightly and tried to focus on his food.

It took a few seconds for Rukia to comprehend what Hitsugaya was trying to imply but when she did she was stunned that _she_ didn't think of it before. She never really stopped to think about what her nii-sama would think. Her mind went through the activities her and Ichigo constantly engaged in and she started blushing. She also never gave that a thought…they simply did what felt right at the moment. She started getting anxious about her recent behavior and activities….

Renji noticed the effect of his comment so he decided to change the topic. "Nice party you had last night, good job Ichigo!...but what was up with that crazy woman that was talking crap to Rukia?" He asked unconsciously bringing up something odd yet again.

"That was onii-chan's ex-girlfriend." Yuzu said.

"Damn Ichigo! How could you ever date a girl like that?" Renji said as he stuffed more rice in his mouth.

Ichigo had veins popping all over his head at how pissed off he was at Renji's topics of conversation.

"Well it doesn't matter anymore. He's with the person he truly cares for now." Karin said trying to smooth things over.

"That and Kuchiki scared the life out of her with her threat to beat her up if she showed her face around here again." Ikkaku said with a smirk as him and Yumichika made their way in through the balcony.

"W-w-what? Couldn't you guys come in through the door like normal people! That's why you have gigais!" Ichigo said irritated at the two shinigami.

"I got tired of being in my stupid gigai and it was easier coming in this way." Ikkaku said.

"And my beauty shines brighter when I'm out of mine!" Yumichika said.

* * *

><p>Everyone continued having a lively morning catching up and talking about last night's party. A few hours later Matsumoto showed up with a terrible hang-over and complaining about gigais being too realistic.<p>

It was time to leave and everyone was saying their goodbyes.

Ichigo hugged Rukia tightly and took in her scent. He loved having her over on the weekends but hated saying goodbye.

"We'll still talk on the phone during the week…" She said as she caressed his back.

"I know but I can't hug you through the phone." He said above a whisper. He didn't want anyone hearing the mushy stuff he told his girlfriend.

"Stop being a wimp, you know this is how things have to be…for now anyway." She said with disappointment in her voice. She hated being away from him as well.

"mmhh mmhh!" Hitsugaya cleared his throat as a reminder that they were waiting for her.

Rukia and Ichigo broke their embrace. She then went to give Yuzu and Karin a goodbye hug before her and the group of shinigami shunpoed away from the balcony.

Ichigo had a strange yearning look on his face as he watched them leave.

"Do you ever miss it?" Karin asked as they both looked at the disappearing shinigami.

"What?" He said turning to look at her.

"Shinigami stuff." She said.

"I don't really think about it. Work takes up most of my time." He said and turned away.

Ichigo spent a few more hours with his sisters and then took them to the train station. When he got home he cleaned a little and then took a shower.

It was late at night but he still wasn't sleepy. He went to his room and sat on the bed. He grabbed one of his favorite books from the nightstand, put on his reading glasses and tried to get lost in the book unsuccessfully. He had been living on his own for a while now but lately he had been feeling uneasy. Simply put he was lonely. The bed felt too big and cold, his place felt too quiet and lifeless, and he himself felt incomplete. He knew the reason why. He picked up the phone to call Rukia. Hearing her voice would suffice.

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

The following day Rukia and Byakuya sat at the dinner table as she told him about her party. Telling her brother about Ichigo's thoughtfulness might put her boyfriend on her brother's good side. Byakuya was pleased to see Rukia glow with happiness. He didn't want anything less form Ichigo.

"Did you do anything interesting when I was gone nii-sama?" Rukia asked.

"Not particularly. Since Renji was gone as well I had to attend the shinigami men's association meeting. That was slightly interesting although I don't particularly care for the hideous choice of clothing and preposterous black glasses." He said with a disgusted face thinking of the flashy look.

Rukia and Byakuya continued enjoying their dinner quietly. It was a nice evening with a cool breeze coming in through the opened sliding doors.

Byakuya closed his eyes and took in the peacefulness. He wouldn't admit it but he missed Rukia on the weekends. Those were the only days both were at home and usually did something together. He was starting to come to the conclusion that he might have taken her company for granted all these years. Not having her around brought back the stinging loneliness he felt after Hisana passed.

The week was flying by for Rukia. She felt like everything was going right. She loved her job as a fuku-taichou, she loved seeing Ichigo on the weekends, and her and her brother were getting along great.

After a hard day of training, she went home and took a long bath after dinner. She laid on her futon and proceeded to call Ichigo.

*ring*ring*ring*

"Hhhhey" Ichigo said in a raspy voice.

"What's wrong?" She became alarmed and sprung up.

"Nothing, I'm just a little sick. It's that season of the year and a few students were coughing at school…" Ichigo said softly with his hoarse voice but couldn't finish the sentence. His throat hurt.

"So maybe you caught something from them..." She finished the sentence. "I was just calling to say hi but since you can't talk we'll talk another time. Hopefully I'll be able to go and take care of you this weekend." She said.

"Ok. I love you." He croaked.

"I love you too." She said and they hung up.

* * *

><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

Rukia shunpoed eagerly towards Ichigo's condo. When she got there she made her way in through the balcony. She stepped into the living room and noticed the T.V. and the radio were off. _'Ichigo must be feeling really sick for it to be this quiet.'_ She thought. She walked to the kitchen and set down a bag on the table. She then walked to the hallway closet and got in her gigai. When she was done she made her way into Ichigo's room. He was sleeping.

From the sound of it he was having a nightmare because he was moaning softly in his sleep and had a pained expression on his face. His face was also sweaty and flushed. She touched his forehead and confirmed her suspicions: he had a high fever.

She left the room and went to take some herbs out of the bag she brought with her from soul society. She boiled some water and added the herbs to it. When she would get sick the servants would always make her a very potent tea that got her better in no time so she asked them about it and they gave her the herbs.

When the tea was done she poured Ichigo a cup and put it on his nightstand. She then went to get a bowl of cool water and a small towel. She placed the damp towel on his forehead and Ichigo woke up a few minutes later.

"Rukia?..."He said.

"Hey." She said tenderly as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You have a very high fever. You should have called your father. It's the weekend so I know he wouldn't have minded." She said with a concerned look.

"I know I just didn't want to worry him. It's only a cold." He said and sat up.

Rukia handed him the cup of tea. He gave her a weak smile and started drinking it slowly. When he was done with the tea she took the cup, she also soaked the towel in the cool water again and replaced it.

She then took her spot next to him on the bed, held one of his warm hands and started running her slim fingers through his hair with the other. He dozed off with a slight smile on his face. She continued her treatment as she focused intently on him. He looked so vulnerable like that. Comforting and taking care of him while he was sick brought her great joy. Soon she was lost in deep slumber as well.

When Rukia woke up she was greeted by a pair of loving half-open brown eyes.

"Sorry I fell asleep." She said a bit embarrassed. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yea I was able to finally rest a bit…and the tea helped a lot." He said softly because it still hurt when he talked.

"Let me go make you some more." She said and got up to leave the room.

Rukia was leaning against the counter waiting for the water to boil when she felt Ichigo's warm embrace.

"What are you doing you need to be in bed!" She scolded him with a stern voice.

"I wanted to be by you…besides, it's boring in there...I've been there for the past few days." He said with a little kid voice as he pouted.

Rukia smiled at his silly antics and reached as far as she could to kiss his forehead. She went to get some blankets and pillows and put them on the couch. Ichigo went to cuddle in his comfortable new spot with a sly smile on his face. Rukia took the hot cup of tea to him and put on a movie. Too bad for Ichigo, a million pouts and whines wouldn't get her to change the horror movie that was about to start.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! I'm happy you guys are enjoying the story :). Thanks for the awesome reviews, I get such a happy feeling when I read them because they fuel my inspiration to continue writing :D.<p>

_Darkassassin619_: Don't worry, Ichigo will propose soon enough. I'm cooking up a master plan for him and Rukia hehe ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

Time had been passing quickly as Ichigo and Rukia got closer and spent more time together. It had been two months since their 'weekends only' routine. Although they were both content with the way things were going they had been clashing about what they would do about the future. Rukia recalled her and Ichigo's last argument about this...

**-Flashback-**

"Well when are we going to talk about it? I know twenty-two is still young but eventually we're going to have to figure it all out." Ichigo said aggravated.

"I don't know Ichigo!" She said annoyed.

Their current problem was the same old thing. She didn't want him to lose everything he worked for all these years, and honestly, she didn't want to leave her position at soul society.

"Why can't we keep doing the weekends thing for a while longer?" She said in hopes of smoothing things over.

"So you're completely happy about the way things are now?" He said flatly.

"You can't _always_ be completely happy. I'm happy enough to continue doing it until we figure things out properly. I don't think it's wise to rush into things, especially since this is our second time giving this a try." She said firmly.

"Well what if I tell you I'm not ok with it?" He said and gave her a hurtful angry look, "Your stubbornness can be so freaking exhausting." With that said he grabbed his keys from the counter and walked out of the tension filled condo.

Rukia was glad about him leaving; his anger had hurt her deeply. Tears were streaming down her face. Why couldn't Ichigo understand? She didn't want to argue or hurt their relationship but whatever choices they made were going to affect their lives permanently. She couldn't be there any longer. She exited her gigai and left the condo.

**-End of flashback-**

Rukia sat at her fuku-taichou desk with an enormous amount of paperwork and bags under her eyes. She hadn't been able to sleep well recently. She also didn't visit Ichigo the weekend before. Byakuya had found it strange but she told him it was due to work.

"Kuchiki-san are you sure you're ok?" Ukitake asked from his desk, "You know you don't have to push yourself so hardâ€¦"

"I'm ok, sorry for troubling you with my personal matters Ukitake-taichou." Rukia said trying to hide a yawn.

Ukitake dropped the subject. He knew his fuku-taichou was very stubborn and liked to push herself to the limit, especially when she was having any sorts of problems.

* * *

><p>At lunch time Renji went over to visit her and brought Rukia's favorite onigiri to try and cheer her up.<p>

"Mmmh Renji these are delicious!" She said and finished her portion in no time. Renji was still working on his first one when he noticed Rukia staring at the rest of his food. He sweat dropped at the hungry look on her face.

"Do you want some more?" He asked reluctantly, he really liked them too.

"Yes, thanks!" She said rapidly and put the delicious rice triangle in her waiting mouth.

"So you were hungry today huh?" Renji asked as she devoured the unfortunate triangle.

"I guess so..." She said and continued eating.

"So how's Ichigo?" Renji asked.

"I don't know. We haven't talked since our last argument. He can be such a stubborn blockhead sometimes!" Rukia said of her boyfriend.

"Reminds me of someone..." Renji mumbled.

"What was that?" Rukia said with her eye twitching at the remark. "Don't think I've forgiven you about what happened with your stupid bankai either!"

"Well you asked for it, sorry you couldn't handle it!" Renji said with a boastful attitude.

"Fine, tomorrow after work, it's on!" She said as she got up. She grabbed his last onigiri and shunpoed back to her office.

"Dammit that was the last one!" The food deprived redhead said with a frown.

* * *

><p><strong>-The following day-<strong>

Rukia and Renji stood outside of the 13th division training grounds. She nodded and they began their duel. After a few minutes of getting into it Rukia started taunting Renji about using bankai again. This time he didn't hesitate and brought it on.

Renji stood in the center of his swirling snake as he waited for Rukia. He didn't get to see what Rukia's bankai was capable of, but this time he wouldn't be so fortunate.

She yelled bankai and her beautiful glittering outfit was back, along with the scythe and the swirling particles of icy sparkling dust.

"You see Renji, the glittering particles surrounding me aren't only for decoration or to look pretty. Like my nii-sama, I can control them at my slightest whimâ€¦ if they crush you they will wrap themselves all over you and turn you into a beautiful ice statute that will explode and turn you into smithereens." She moved a finger and the tornado of iciness went crashing to his right.

Even if he wasn't hit Renji froze at the surprise. It finally hit him, Rukia _has_ a bankai.

She smiled at his reaction. "Obviously since you're my friend I wouldn't hit you directly." She said oozing confidence.

She was going to continue taunting him when she started feeling lightheaded. Everything started to turn blurry and went black as she lost consciousness.

"RUKIA!" Renji yelled and went to his friend. Since she wasn't responding he picked her up and took her to the fourth division infirmary.

* * *

><p><strong>**Fourth Division**<strong>

Rukia slowly woke up to the bright lights of the medical place.

"W-where am I?" She said still blinded from the light.

"Kuchiki fuku-taichou lay back down please, I will go get Unohana taichou." A random nurse said and quickly left the office.

A few minutes later Unohana walked in with her usual smile.

"Kuchiki-san, how are you feeling?" She asked sweetly.

"I think I'm ok. All I remember is training with Renji..." She said.

"Have you been engaging in different activities recently? Perhaps your eating habits have changed?" Unohana asked.

"Not that I can remember. I have been eating more lately and I think I have gained a little bit of weight, but that might be because I've been going to the world of the living more often and they have too many delicious foods that are hard to resist." She said shyly.

"Have you been feeling lightheaded often?"

"No. I believe this incident might have to do with me using my bankai too forcefully." Rukia said. She was tired of all the questions and she was already feeling better anyway. "I don't want to waste your time. I'm already feeling better so maybe I should go." She tried sitting up and was about to get off the bed when the taichou gave her an eerie smile.

"Lay back down please, Kuchiki-san" Rukia sweat dropped and quickly obeyed. Heck, anyone would do as the taichou said whenever they saw her creepy smile!

"I will conduct a few blood tests that will only take a few minutes." She said and called a few nurses.

A few minutes later Unohana walked in Rukia's room again.

"I have some surprising results, Kuchiki-san." She said and signaled for the nurse in the room to exit. "I need to ask you a few personal questions." She looked at Rukia's wide eye-look and proceeded. "I know you and Kurosaki Ichigo have been seeing each other recently." She cleared her throat and continued. "Have you two engaged in _certain_ adult activities?" She finished with a smile at the end.

Rukia became flustered and her cheeks were burning up at the question that she couldn't deny. Since words couldn't come out of her mouth she nodded.

"I see." Onohana said a bit worried at how the fuku-taichou was going to take the news. "I would like to happily inform you that you and Kurosaki-kun are soon-to-be parents."

"E-e-excuse me?" Rukia's jaw dropped. She must still be out of it. Whatever sentence that just came out of the taichou's mouth had to be an illusion.

"From the looks of it the idea of you becoming a mother must have come as a surprise Kuchiki-san. Don't worry you can stay here as long as you please. Don't hesitate to come visit me here should you have any questions." Unohana gave Rukia one last smile and left the room.

"Oh Abarai!" She said. Renji had been waiting impatiently outside the room for a while now. "You may come in now, I'm sure Kuchiki-san will appreciate your company."

"Thank you Unohana taichou!" He said formally and went immediately in the room.

Rukia was sitting on the bed staring at the floor, her eyes wide and glassy, her hands tightly fisted. She felt like the biggest idiot in soul society and the world of the living. She started trembling a little thinking at her circumstances.

"Rukia!" Renji said startling his worried friend.

Rukia just stared at him with worried eyes. Renji went to stand by her and she threw her arms around his waist. Renji was surprised at the sudden action but returned the hug and wrapped his large arms around her small frame. They remained like that for a few minutes. He remained quiet since he didn't know what to say and usually when he opened his mouth he screwed things up.

"Can we leave this place?" She said softly.

"Yeah" Renji said with his deep voice and they walked out.

The silence and suspense was killing the muscular red-head. He couldn't take it any longer, he wanted to know what was wrong with Rukia.

"What happened in there? Are you ok? Is it because of your bankai?" Renji spat quickly.

Rukia smiled. If only he knew...

"Sorry Renji but I don't want to talk about it. I think I'm just going to head home. It's been a long day." She said wearily.

"Ok I'll walk you!" He said.

"No, please. I need some time to think." She gave him a weak smile and headed off alone.

* * *

><p><strong>**World of the Living** <strong>

Ichigo was also having the most terrible of weeks. His grudge at Rukia had grown considerably especially because he didn't expect for her to stay in soul society last weekend. Of course, he could have also gone but that was beside the point, _he_ was also mad.

It was late at night and he headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water before going to bed. He took a drink of his water when he saw a black figure in his balcony and dropped the cup. Luckily it was a plastic cup and it didn't shatter.

"Yo!" Renji said making his way in.

"You idiot! What the heck are you doing coming to my place this late at night? And through the balcony nonetheless! I thought you were a burgl-" Renji stopped Ichigo's tirade.

"Shut it. I didn't come here because I wanted to see your ugly face. Something happened today that I think you might want to know about. Rukia wouldn't tell me anything and I know you two are arguing so she probably wouldn't have picked up the phone to tell you anything either."

Renji made himself comfortable on the couch and told him the story. A few minutes later...

"Crap! This is the reason why I wanted to figure things out between us. I hate not being close to her when things happen." Ichigo said with a scowl.

"So will I be seeing you tomorrow?" Renji said as he got up to leave.

"Dammit! I can't, there's exams going on tomorrow and it's important that I go to work. I won't be able to go until Friday night." He said.

"Alright." Reji said and turned to leave.

"Wait...please take care of her." Ichigo said concerned.

"Fool...you don't need to tell me that." Renji gave him a crooked smile and left.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! So what do you guys think about the sudden turn of events? I had been planning on this to happen all along but I'm not sure if you (the readers) expected it.<p>

That's what happens when you do "certain things" without protection even if you're in your gigais!

Please leave some feedback and let me know what you guys think of the chapter. Thank u! :)

One last note: I was having problems uploading the chapter because it kept changing the words around so I'm sorry if you encounter misplaced words :p


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

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><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

Friday evening couldn't come fast enough for Ichigo. He couldn't stop thinking about what was going on with Rukia. As soon as he was able to he dashed out of the high school and headed home. He tried calling Rukia the following day he spoke with Renji but she didn't answer her phone. After the few couple phone calls she had turned it off completely. That was a little expected though; she didn't need her phone in soul society.

When he got to his place he exited his body and got ready to leave. He knew Renji would be waiting for him once he got there so they could come up with a plan to talk to Rukia. He didn't want to go straight to the Kuchiki mansion because he wasn't sure if Byakuya knew about their argument from a few weeks ago.

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

Renji perspired profusely as he sat at his fuku-taichou's desk. Byakuya had flooded him with pity work right before it was time to go so he wasn't able to leave the office sooner. Renji knew why, he could feel the intensity of his taichou's eyes on him. He knew Byakuya could smell the fear and anxiousness in him. Renji was an easy-to-read type of man. He didn't hide things well and especially not from his taichou.

Byakuya had sensed something was off with Rukia this week. She seemed less energetic, was eating very little and her eyes were dim. He wasn't sure of the reason why. Surprisingly, he didn't think it was because of Kurosaki. He had heard rumors of Rukia collapsing after using bankai so he figured it was something along those lines. Still, something seemed fishy, and his dense fuku-taichou could have the answers he was looking for.

"Abarai" Byakuya said in his stoic tone.

"Ahh!" Renji jumped at the unexpected voice, his stack of papers slowly tumbling on the floor. "I mean yes taichou!" Renji said nervously.

Byakuya rolled his eyes at the bizarre reaction of the redhead and continued, "Are you withholding any information from me?"

"W-w-what? Of course not taichou!" Renji answered quickly.

"About Rukia…" Byakuya finished.

Renji gulped. He was in a tight spot. He didn't want to lie to Byakuya but he also didn't want to let Ichigo down. He decided to tell him a shaky half truth.

"Ichigo is coming to soul society tonight…he knows about Rukia and was worried." Renji answered.

Byakuya was satisfied enough with the answer. But why was it such a mystery for Kurosaki to come and visit his sister? He attributed it to Renji just being Renji.

"Very well. Tell him to go straight to the mansion when he gets here. You may go home." With that said the noble man stood from his desk and headed to the door.

*Renji was headed to his quarters in the chilly night when he felt Ichigo's reiatsu. He followed it hastily.

"Ichigo!" Renji said as he approached the orange-head.

"Hey, weren't we meeting at your place?" Ichigo said.

"Well…my taichou figured something was up and I told him you were coming." Renji said.

"You what!" Ichigo said nervously.

"I don't think he knows you and Rukia are arguing. He asked that you went to the mansion as soon as you got here." Renji said with a serious face.

"Are you coming too?" Ichigo asked expectantly.

"I'd like to just to see what's going on with Rukia but I know my taichou would just tell me to leave so I'm heading back to my quarters. Feel free to come if you need a place to stay." Renji said and patted Ichigo on the back.

Ichigo thanked Renji and headed to the mansion.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

Rukia was in her room sulking, her appetite gone due to her worries. She had also been feeling sick lately which didn't help her case, although now she knew the reason why. Currently, she was laying on her futon with her sliding doors open letting the fresh air in as the soothing incense filled the room. She was also listening to an mp3 player that Ichigo had gotten her many years ago back when they were dating in high school.

Byakuya stood outside her room and asked to come in but when she didn't answer he got worried and slid the door open anyway. He saw her laying on the futon, probably trying to ease her mind…although maybe she was in pain too? A frown came on his face as he remembered when Hisana started getting sick. He wasn't sure what was happening to Rukia but he would do anything within his power to keep her healthy and safe.

Byakuya felt Ichigo approaching and left Rukia's room. He went to receive the young shinigami.

"You finally arrive." Byakuya said with an out of character gloomy voice. Ichigo became nervous at this.

"How's Rukia? Did anything happen?" He said worried.

"She's in her room. She hasn't been herself lately but most importantly I'm afraid something might be eating away at her health." He said looking away.

"Is it ok if I go see her?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya nodded and Ichigo made his way to her room.

* * *

><p>Ichigo slid the door open to find her in the same spot Byakuya had spotted her before. At least she seemed to be relaxing. He noticed the mp3 player clutched in her small hands and smiled. She couldn't be <em>that<em> mad at him if she was using it. He put Zangetsu against the wall and made his way to her. He went to sit next to her when her eyes snapped open.

The look in her eyes was something she had never expressed towards him before. It wasn't anger, happiness, or sadness. It was….fear?

"Ichigo!" She said sitting up and shifted away from him as she took her headphones off.

"Rukia" He said tenderly trying to subdue her nervousness.

She could only stare at him with the same frightened expression. Ichigo couldn't stand the fear in her eyes. He pulled her towards him and wrapped his strong arms around her.

"I'm sorry for being such an idiot last time you came over I just can't stand being away from you. When Renji went to tell me something had happened to you a few days ago I freaked out. I want to be close to you when these things happen so I can be there for you." He said sweetly as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Ichigo" She said with tears streaming down her face as she clung tightly to his robes. _'What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not usually this emotional.'_ She thought to herself. Not showing her vulnerable side was such a strong part of her personality. Maybe it was because she didn't like playing the damsel in distress or maybe because she loved Ichigo so much that she always put what she thought was best for him in front of anything else.

He broke the embrace and lifted her chin to look into her eyes, his chocolate eyes sparkling in the darkness of the night.

"You know you have us all worried…" He said as he held and caressed one of her small hands. "…your brother" he continued planting a kiss on said hand. "…your best friend" he then gave her a light kiss on the forehead, "and also the man who loves you so much that the thought of you being away from him kills him slowly inside." He said finally claiming her lips.

A few minutes of kissing later...

"I'm sorry." She said breaking off the kiss and clasped her hands together. "I just…" She looked up to Ichigo but didn't know how to tell him. "I…I…Renji took me to the infirmary after I passed out and Unohana taichou told me something that surprised me…although it shouldn't have given my recent behavior…I'm so stupid...and just thinking about nii-sama…and you and…"

"Rukia" Ichigo said trying to get the attention of the rambling shinigami. "What did Unohana-san tell you?"

Rukia found it easier to look away from Ichigo's inquiring eyes as she told him the information he so desperately sought. She focused her eyes on the bright orange light of the burning incense sticks instead, took a shaky breath and said "I'm pregnant."

Ichigo's mind went blank with the exception of the last word: _Pregnant_. Rukia was pregnant. _Rukia_…the tiny woman who in this life and the next would always be his everything; the one who he could never be the same without, could never be complete without…

The feelings of euphoric happiness started overwhelming his body and mind. He was going to be a father. He launched himself at the nervous girl next to him and hugged her body, radiating all his love onto her.

"Y-you're not worried?" She asked, although no longer afraid of it all. "The timing's off and…"

"Rukia shut up." He said with a playful smile. "Stop worrying and enjoy the feeling of what this means. We're going to be parents. We're going to have a baby!" He said joyfully.

Rukia started warming up to the meaning of his words. She had only thought about the downside of the unexpected events but thinking about the positive side of their circumstances started making her just as happy as him.

"You're right, there is nothing to be afraid of. Seriously! Sometimes I think your bad habits of sulking and such are contagious because I'm not usually like that!" She said trying to liven up her tone by teasing him.

She gave him an sheepish smile and said, "Now all we have to do is tell my nii-sama"

Ichigo instantly felt like a tiny ant waiting to be crushed. Why did Byakuya always have to have that unnerving effect on him? He was an adult dammit!

Rukia stood up and yanked Ichigo's hand so that he could follow.

"Let's go Ichigo, I don't want to cause my nii-sama any more worries than what I already have." Rukia said happily.

Ichigo sweat dropped at the sudden change of mood. She was now utterly comfortable with the idea of them expecting a baby. She was also _not_ afraid of telling Byakuya!

"H-h-hold on a second Rukia! What do you mean let's go? Do you realize that if we tell him out of the blue our baby might not get the chance to meet his father!" Ichigo said fearfully.

"My nii-sama is not that irrational as to kill you off like that, especially not now that I'm having your baby." She said with a big smile.

"Can we at least wait until tomorrow? It's really late and I'm sure he's already sleeping." Ichigo said hoping his idea would work.

After calming down and thinking things over Rukia agreed and they went to lay on her futon to go to sleep. Ichigo wanted to go to a guest room because he didn't want yet another reason to face Byakuya's wrath but Rukia wouldn't let him. She hadn't seen him in two weeks and wanted to cuddle with the love of her life.

* * *

><p>As Rukia slept away in the comfort of his warm chest and arms, he was wide awake with racing thoughts of the day to follow. How would Byakuya take it? Would he really behave in such a manner as to kill him instantly? Or would he let him live but torture his measly existence for the rest of his life?<p>

Ichigo then started thinking about his family back in his world. He knew his dad would be jumping with happiness as well as his sisters and friends, but how would that change their current living situation and their relationship? They hadn't even officially talked about marriage! Tomorrow was going to be the start of the very interesting events to follow.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Thanks for the feedback :). I'm happy to hear you guys didn't find the twist too off. I'll try to make Rukia's pregnancy fun and interesting but in the next chapter we'll see Byakuya's reaction :p<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share my happiness and say yesterday's bleach chapter was awesome :)! Anyway, if you haven't read it you should (although I'm sure you guys already have haha)

P.S. Excuse Byakuya's language, he let out a few angry words in the heat of the argument :p.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

****Soul Society****

The first bright rays of the morning sun filtered through the doors of the calm room. Although sleep deprived, Ichigo sprung up immediately waking a sleepy Rukia in the process.

"What was that for!" She grumbled grumpily.

"We can't let Byakuya find out I slept in here, we have to get up!" Ichigo said trying to keep his loud voice down.

"Five more minutes" She said turning around and giving him her back.

"I don't think so." Ichigo said and scooped her up heading to the door.

"You're such a fool!" She said but didn't fight it. Instead, she cuddled in his chest.

After he realized she wasn't going to go back to her room he set her down so they could go have some breakfast. When they got to there Ichigo was pleasantly surprised to not see Byakuya in the room. Him and Rukia proceeded to sit next to each other.

Rukia was feeling in a much better mood. She loaded her plate with food. Ichigo noticed it was more than her usual portions but opted to not say anything and put some food on his plate as well.

A few minutes later they felt Byakuya's reiatsu approaching. Ichigo automatically started feeling paranoid and his neck started getting sweaty.

"Good morning." Byakuya said.

"Good morning nii-sama!" Rukia said in a lively tone and Ichigo followed in a suspicious quieter than usual one.

Ichigo couldn't help his nervousness. The fact that Rukia was pregnant directly implied the absolute obvious: he had deflowered the noble man's pride…

Byakuya eased up noting Rukia's happy mood but sent Ichigo a scrutinizing look. _'There shouldn't be a reason for the boy to be so nervous.' _He thought and took his place at the table. Ichigo tried to focus on his food and ignore the perceptive man sitting in front of him.

As the group continued eating, Byakuya observed a few things that struck him as odd. As opposed to the last few days, Rukia was uncharacteristically in a happy mood. She also didn't appear to be in pain or ill and she was also eating most of the food not only on her plate but on the table. Ichigo noticed Byakuya's observations but when their eyes met he looked right back down to his food. Byakuya definitely knew something was going on between the two.

When they got done eating Byakuya didn't leave, instead, he remained sitting expecting some answers. There was an awkward silence. No one knew how to start off the conversation to come.

"Nii-sama, there is something we need to talk about." Rukia finally said in a serious tone.

"Indeed we do. It appears you are feeling better, Rukia." He said.

"I'm sorry to have worried you nii-sama." She said looking into his eyes. She wanted to continue but the words wouldn't come out. Likewise, Ichigo was too fearful for any comprehensible words to come out of his mouth.

After noticing that there was no way out of this situation she began, "The reason why I had been acting strange was because when Renji took me to the infirmary to see Unohana taichou I found out I was-"

"What a beautiful day! Let's all go outside and enjoy the weather!" Ichigo blurted out.

The siblings looked at the panicked man in awe. Byakuya's surprise was dispelled almost instantly as he remembered the matter at hand, Rukia was clearly about to say whatever it was that bothering her. All Byakuya needed to do was send Ichigo one of his trademark Byakuya looks for Ichigo to turn into the quiet statute that he had been so far.

"You were what, Rukia?" He said in a tone neither could pinpoint.

After Ichigo's sudden outburst her resolution was failing her. Ichigo noticed and felt guilty. He gathered the few microscopic particles left of his courage, held her hand tightly, looked into Byakuya's eyes and said, "We are expecting a child."

"I see." Byakuya said dryly as his eyes turned into angry slits at the sight and words of the orange head. Rukia and Ichigo noticed how the man known for his cool demeanor was slowly turning into a hot kettle with boiling water ready to explode at any time.

He abruptly got up from his sitting position, slammed his hands on the unsuspecting table and yelled, "You what!"

The couple in front of him was petrified. Even when Ichigo fought Byakuya so many years ago he never appeared to have lost his temper. Rukia couldn't believe what she was witnessing either; she had never seen her brother this furious.

"Do you realize the implications of your actions!" He looked at Rukia who was averting his eyes but then he looked at Ichigo who was surprisingly looking at him defiantly. "You!..." He said pointing a condemning finger at him, "You uncouth moron! You have stepped on my pride too many fucking times! I will not tolerate any more of your crude insulting behavior!" He roared as his shaky hand tightened the grip on the hilt of senbonzakura and fought the burning urge to see every petal of it on his trembling body.

"Nii-sama don't!" Rukia yelped noticing the way her brother was griping his zanpakuto. She then looked up to meet his eyes as tears ran down her porcelain face.

Byakuya couldn't bear look at her crying. Yes he was mad at her irresponsible actions, but in his eyes she was no longer in a position to hear the tirade of a man with a bruised ego. No, in his eyes she was now as tender and delicate as a lotus flower. She was a woman with child.

He did something he had not done in a long time; he bowed to his sister. "I'm sorry for my behavior." He then looked up to see her with a shameful expression on his elegant features. He really was sorry for his outburst. Rukia threw her arms around her brother with happiness for the way he had taken the news and apologized.

"Thank you nii-sama! I'm sorry for being so irresponsible…" She said in between sobs as they hugged.

Ichigo stared amazed as they were having their moment. _'Looks like Byakuya has a soft spot for these sorts of things'_ Ichigo smiled internally. Byakuya must have sensed his stare and tiny bit of relief because he opened his eyes and sent him a death glare. Ichigo had a feeling he would not have the same luck as Rukia.

When they broke the hug Byakuya excused himself and said he needed some time alone to think. He then said they would talk thoroughly after dinner.

* * *

><p>Rukia and Ichigo sat in a shady spot under one of the many cherry blossom trees of the Kuchiki mansion's garden. Their morning conversation with Byakuya had been exhausting for both and neither felt like going anywhere. Rukia was sitting with her back against a tree reading a manga that Ichigo had brought her and Ichigo was laying flat on the grass with his arms folded behind his head.<p>

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"Mmh?" He answered with his eyes closed.

"How could you not be worried about us bringing a child into this world with everything we have going on? You were more worried about nii-sama…"

"Well I love you, and having a baby might have not been planned but it's something that we can manage. We're both responsible adults, we can take care of a child Rukia. Now your brother is a different story…the only reason why he calmed down was because of the waterworks show you put on back there." He said carelessly.

"I what!" She said and threw the manga at his head.

He laughed it off and said, "You know you're going to have to stop being so aggressive with me once the baby's here."

"The baby has nothing to do with me showing you how to conduct yourself properly!" She said and playfully yanked on his hair. He held her wrist and looked up to see her eyes, "You know there are other ways of making me understand things, right?" He gave her a mischievous smile. Rukia blushed and looked away. She wasn't too comfortable showing their affection knowing that her brother could be right around the corner.

* * *

><p><strong>**Dinner time**<strong>

Dinner had been awkward between Ichigo and Byakuya as both constantly exchanged unappreciative looks. Fortunately for both, Rukia hadn't noticed because she was too busy enjoying her food. Byakuya had requested that they made all her favorite items and was pleased to make her happy. _'Show off'_ Ichigo thought of Byakuya's gesture. When they were done the servants cleaned up and served the tea along with a wide variety of sweets.

Byakuya took an elegant sip of his tea, put down his cup and said, "Kurosaki Ichigo, let me put it as plain as possible so that even a man like you can understand. I expect you to marry Rukia immediately."

"Of course I'm going to marry her immediately, why wouldn't I?" Ichigo said loudly.

"Well apparently you have to be told such things otherwise Rukia wouldn't be in the situation that she's in now." He said, instantly making Ichigo feel like a child.

"If your sister wasn't so hardheaded I would have done it long ago!" He retorted with a scowl.

"Who are you calling hardheaded? And why isn't anyone consulting me in the conversation!" Rukia said loudly setting aside the sweet treats she was eating. Byakuya gave her a questioning look. She might be pregnant and be his sister but he didn't like her being loud like Ichigo. She noticed and immediately went back to her innocent girl voice and said, "I'm sorry nii-sama."

"Very well then, I'm sure we can have a wedding up to par with Kuchiki standards by next week. Now on to the next topic of discussion: the Kuchiki name. Since it is clearly an advantageous marriage for you I assume you will be taking the distinguished Kuchiki last name." Byakuya said to Ichigo.

"Don't assume such things! And no, I am not the woman here, Rukia will be taking my name!" Ichigo said exasperated at the uncanny assumptions of his soon to be brother in law.

"Kurosaki Ichi-" Byakuya was cut off.

"And can you just call me Ichigo." He said folding his arms across his chest.

"Fine. Ichigo, there is no need for you to yell every single time you want to say something." Byakuya said in a cool tone.

Ichigo had veins popping all over his head by now but he simply nodded in agreement with the noble. There was no point in arguing with someone who he knew would always have the last word.

"The last matter at hand is choosing where you will be living. Your current situation is not one that will benefit Rukia's health now that she is expecting." He then gave Ichigo a glare and Rukia a tender look as he continued, "Even if you won't take the Kuchiki last name I would like to let you both know that if you chose to you are welcome to live in the mansion. The property is certainly big enough to accommodate a growing family." He said. He then looked away with a sad expression on his features but it quickly turned into his regular icy one.

"I will make my leave now. You have many things to consider." With that he walked away.

Rukia was overjoyed with happiness at her brother's thoughtfulness and Ichigo was left astounded yet another time. He had noticed Byakuya's solemn expression when he mentioned a growing family. He felt slightly bad for the noble. He was never given a chance at having a family…

* * *

><p>Hi again! Thank you for the awesome and helpful reviews and for adding the story to your favesalerts =D

P.S. I was having a hard time writing this chapter because I wasn't sure how to write Byakuya's reaction, but I think if Rukia was having a baby he would probably be very supportive and loving since he never got a chance to have a family with Hisana :(


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

It was late in the evening. Rukia and Ichigo sat outside of Rukia's bedroom on the wooden ledge as they stared at the clear indigo sky. Both were thinking about their future together and the many decisions they had yet to make.

"If it makes you happy there's something Byakuya and I agree on. I also think we need to make a decision about where we are going to be living permanently as soon as possible." Ichigo said and turned to see Rukia. Although her expression was somewhat stern, it also showed concern. Even if she would never admit it, Ichigo knew she would forever feel responsible for the whole "changing his destiny" thing. Unlike her, Ichigo had not once seen it as a negative though.

"Rukia…I know what you're thinking, and deep inside I know you also agree that I was never born to live a normal human life. Leaving the world of the living will is not a burden for me." He said calmly.

At last Rukia met his eyes. Logically what Ichigo was saying was true. His father was a shinigami after all. Still, she was the one that had revived that side of his life. As opposed to putting on her blinders and only looking at all the things that could have been she looked at the man sitting next to her. A man with an unshakable love, someone who she shared such a deep bond with that she would never experience anything remotely like that with anyone else in a million lifetimes.

A man with no regrets.

Her expression softened at this. He had _no_ regrets. He was not a pushover; he was there because he wanted to. She smiled at her foolishness and reached up to touch his cheek. She then started to get closer to him, she wanted to feel the heat emitting from his soft lips…

"You idiot!" A deep voice said breaking their intimate moment.

"Renji!" They both said in unison.

"What the hell happened? You never came over to fill me in!" Renji said disgruntled and plopped next to Ichigo. He took a peek at Rukia. She no longer looked depressed, not to mention her and Ichigo were visibly in good terms since he had caught them being affectionate.

"Well…you see…" Ichigo didn't know how to break the news to Renji. The matter was no longer about Rukia's health; it was about him and Rukia being careless when doing their intimate deeds. Ichigo tried to continue, "I didn't have time to go sooner because…" Ichigo stared dumbly at Renji's inquiring eyes. Dammit! He couldn't finish. Renji was sitting there looking so innocent and concerned. Ichigo's hands were getting sweaty. Renji was Rukia's best friend after all.

"We're having a baby!" Rukia finally said with a big smile. She was confident enough that her best friend would not judge them.

"HUUUHHHHH! ! ! ! ? ?" Renji said and got face to face with a twitching Ichigo.

"You bastard! ! !" Renji stood up instantaneously unsheathing zabimaru. "I'll make you feel like a reeeal man right now!" Renji said and started chasing after the ill-fated shinigami.

From within the calmness of the mansion Byakuya let out a small chuckle. He would usually go over and put a halt to any ruckus in the mansion, but given that he himself had been wanting to smack Ichigo around a few times he decided to let it go. For once he could say he was utterly proud of his fuku-taichou's hasty behavior.

"What…the…hell Renji!" Ichigo said dodging the angry man's attacks. "Give me a break! I already had to deal with Byakuya earlier, isn't that bad enough?"

"Heellll nooo! I deal with the taichou every day!" Renji said as he kept swinging.

"Well I'm going to deal with him for the rest of my life now!" Ichigo said trying to get some pity from his friend.

Renji stopped swinging as he contemplated Ichigo's words. He then gave him a wide toothy smile. "I guess you're right…sorry man!" He said and walked towards the relieved Ichigo.

"Sorry for not..UUGHHH!" Ichigo was about to apologize but instead bent down and crumbled to the ground as a sharp pain overtook his body. He had literally received a low blow.

"That's for being a dumbass." Renji said pleased to have finally been able to release the initial anger of finding out Ichigo had gotten his childhood friend pregnant.

* * *

><p><strong>-Some time later—<strong>

Renji, Ichigo, and Rukia sat on the wooden ledge outside Rukia's room again. Although Ichigo had wanted to pound Renji for hitting him in his most tender spot he let it go. He knew he probably deserved the blow anyway. Renji and Ichigo were drinking some sake and Rukia was drinking tea and eating sweets –again-.

"So you guys are marring next weekend, huh? Where are you guys going to live after?" Renji asked and took a drink of his sake.

"Ichigo thinks he's ready to live in soul society." Rukia said.

"Well it makes sense I guess, he always seemed to linger on more than he should have..." Renji said sending Ichigo an annoyed glare. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Renji…do you think I'll be able to find a job here?" Ichigo said.

"Fool! How would Renji know? We also need to talk to the commander if you're going to be here permanently by the way…" Rukia said.

"After all he did for us with the whole Aizen battle do you think the commander would actually say no? That's the least he could do!" Renji said.

"Talking about work, I don't think it's very safe for you to be working in the Gotei 13 now that you're pregnant!" Ichigo said loudly at the realization.

Rukia's eyes opened wide. Out of everything she had been worrying about she forgot to think about her duties. What would happen with her fuku-taichou position now that she was probably not going to be able to do many perilous things?

Ichigo and Renji noticed the sudden dark mood that surrounded her. They both knew Rukia was a strong woman and liked to take care of herself. She was proud of being a shinigami. This would not be an easy transition for her. They looked at each other with worried eyes.

Renji took this as his cue to leave. He could not even comprehend how Ichigo would tackle that with Rukia. He downed his sake, said his goodbyes and shunpoed into the night.

"Don't worry about it." Rukia broke the silence, "I'll talk to my taichou Monday."

Ichigo nodded. If she didn't want to talk about it he would not push the subject. He decided to ease her stress and give her a shoulder massage. At first it appeared that the massage was tensing her body even more, but after a few minutes she was starting to relax. It was getting too chilly so he scooped her up and gently laid her on her futon.

"You know I can walk right? You don't have to carry me every time you-" She was silenced by her soon-to-be husband's warm lips. He had been meaning to kiss her for a while but stupid Renji had interfered their moment earlier. Rukia responded to the kiss and tangled her hands around his messy hair. She loved pulling on it, as well as the softness of it too of course.

Ichigo was enjoying her affection. His free hand started roaming and feeling the curves of her body. Their actions were starting to get too heated and he playfully played with her obi (the with sash that ties their shinigami robes).

"Ichigo…" She whined softly and tried to swat his hand away.

Ichigo ignored her weak protests and continued to shower her with affection when they heard a knock on the door. It was one of the servants.

"Kurosaki-dono, Kuchiki-sama would like me to remind you that your room is ready." The woman said nervously as she stared at the flushed couple.

"Y-yes thank you." Ichigo said. He said good night to Rukia and left the room as he inwardly cursed Byakuya. That man must have been born to torture him…

The next morning the three shinigami ate breakfast together again. After that Ichigo and Rukia planned their upcoming tasks. Ichigo would go back to his world to take care of things before he left for good and Rukia would try to meet him sometime before the weekend since the wedding would be taking place on Saturday.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kurosaki household**<strong>

Isshin listened attentively as his son broke the news. Ichigo was expecting his usual antics or even a kick or two, anything to not make it as awkward for him.

"So what do you think old man? Say something." Ichigo finally said. He was nervous as to how his father would take the news of the baby and him leaving.

Isshin looked at his son and gave him a fulfilled smile. "Remember my little pep talk in the cemetery back when you were still a scrawny little kid?" Isshin asked and Ichigo nodded. "I'd like to thank you, Ichigo. I can now die a happy man. I always worried that you carried such an ugly burden on your shoulders, deep inside I wondered if you'd ever find true happiness. I knew my spirit wouldn't rest if you continued on like that. Looking at you now I can truthfully say I see a happy man in front of me. Your mother would be very proud."

"Thanks dad." Ichigo said softly and looked away.

Isshin quickly launched himself at his unsuspecting son. Instead of fitting him off, Ichigo actually let his father hug him.

"You crazy old man…" Ichigo said. His father's words meant a lot to him.

"Fool, just don't think you've gotten rid of me so fast! I can always go to soul society any time I want!" Isshin said as he continued hugging his adult son.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! So I just realized that I never specified that in my story Ichigo didn't lose his powers after the Aizen battle. Sorry if that was confusing to anyone, I updated chapter one and specified it at the beginning of the story.<p>

Hope you guys liked the new chapter. Thanks for the reviews and adding the story to your faves/alerts :).


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19**

* * *

><p><strong>**World of the Living**<strong>

In the conversation Ichigo had with his father the question about what he was going to do with his body came up and so Ichigo decided to go ask Urahara about it. Since it was Sunday Isshin wasn't doing anything and decided to tag along.

When they got there they gathered around the table.

"So what's with the mysterious aura? Are you two finally going to tell me what's going on?" Urahara asked. He loved being in on everyone's secrets but hated waiting.

"Don't worry I wasn't planning on beating around the bush. The truth is I'm going to be leaving this world permanently and going to Soul Society because-" He got cut off abruptly.

"Because he finally became a man thanks to Rukia-chan!" Isshin said and gave Ichigo two thumbs up. "And to top it off I'm going to be a grandfather!" Isshin proceeded to yank Urahara's fan off his hands and started happily fanning himself.

"Very niiiiice!" Urahara said as a wide smile formed on his face, "Although to finally be able to get some and then get pregnant so quick is no fun Kurosaki-kun! If you needed contraceptives all you had to do was ask! I have a wide variety for humans as well as for gigais" He said.

"Fool! If that would have been the case then I wouldn't be experiencing the overflowing joy of being a soon-to-be grandfather!" Isshin said with waterfall tears.

"Shut up already! Seriously, how can you guys be so immature and yet be hundreds and hundreds of years older than me!" Ichigo said with a twitching eye.

"Ichigo, let me give you some manly advice. You need to learn from your father's ways and lighten up, otherwise your moodiness might drive my Rukia-chan away!" Isshin said with a frown.

"Don't worry about your son too much. It is clear that he has found _other_ ways of keeping Kuchiki-san happy." Urahara said sweetly as he took his fan back and fanned himself.

Ichigo was so aggravated he was ready to go bankai on the cheery men.

Urahara and Isshin continued teasing Ichigo and talking for a while longer. When they were done Urahara asked Ichigo to meet him at his shop Friday evening. He would come up with a solution to his predicament by then.

* * *

><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

Ichigo finally made his way back to his condo. He poured himself a glass of juice and went to sit on the couch. His mind was racing with everything that had happened over the weekend. First, he found out he was going to be a father. The joy he felt when he first heard it from Rukia was indescribable. He didn't imagine it would continue to multiply the more he thought about it. He then thought about the fact that he was going to go to soul society _permanently_. He looked around the small condo and a small smile crept on his face. His best memories there were the ones he had made with Rukia these past two months. He rubbed his temples and deiced to go to bed. He had a long week ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>**The next day at Ichigo's job**<strong>

Ichigo finished talking with the principal of the school. Ichigo apologized and told him he had to leave the country immediately and he wasn't sure if he would come back. His boss was very disappointed that Ichigo could no longer work at the school. Ichigo would definitely be missed, he was a very ethical and hard working person. His students were also going to miss him. He was known as the "cool, hot teacher that didn't take anyone's nonsense". Ichigo was packing his stuff when Rin opened the door.

"So I hear you're leaving?" She said hesitantly. She still felt strange after the incident at the party.

"Yeah" He said and continued packing.

"I assume you're going to the same country that your girlfriend lives in?" She said trying to cover up her lack of enthusiasm.

"Mh hum." Ichigo agreed and continued to busy himself.

"Well good luck. I wish you the best, Ichigo." She said in a serious tone. He looked up and she gave him a smile.

He smiled back. Even though she had caused a scene at the party he couldn't hate her. He could only feel bad for her. "I wish you the best in life too. Thank you for the years and time we spent together, Rin." He said softly as he looked at her with tender chocolate eyes.

Rin couldn't help it as the anger in her heart slowly melted away by looking at those expressive brown eyes. She still loved the man staring at her after all. She walked to him and without notice wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. Although he felt a small tinge to push her away from his body, he replied to the hug. His hands were patting her small back and they got slightly tangled in her wavy brown hair.

Although he knew they were just saying goodbye and putting a definite end to their long relationship, something told him this was a very intimate way to say goodbye. Indeed it seemed like that when he noticed the _only_ girl of his affection starting at them with shocked angry eyes.

"R-r-rukia…what are you doing here?" Ichigo squeaked and untangled himself from Rin.

"I was given the week off since Kiyone and Sentaro offered to take over my duties for the week. I wanted to surprise you and your father told me this would be your last day of work which is why I'm here." She said with an icy Kuchiki worthy tone as she stared at the friendly duo in front of her.

"Apparently you seem to be very busy. I'll see you at your place later." She turned around and started heading out the door.

"Hold on! This wasn't what it looked like at all!" Ichigo said loudly catching the attention of a few students passing by.

"Don't embarrass me Ichigo. I said I will see you at your place." She sent chills up his spine because of the tone she was using. She then gave him an angry glare and continued to walk away. Unfortunately Ichigo still had a few things to finish so he had to stay at the high school longer.

"Sorry." Rin gave him a guilty look and left. She really _was_ sorry. She was naturally a sweet person and at this point she just wanted to end whatever drama they all had going on between them.

* * *

><p><strong>**Ichigo's place**<strong>

Ichigo came home later in the evening a bit drained. It had been the last day of work at his current job. He didn't think he would be, but he had actually been a little sad to say goodbye to the people he had met as well as to the job that he had gotten because of his hard work. He closed the door behind him and set his bags on the table.

"Rukia?" He called when he noticed the place was too quiet. She didn't answer but he felt her presence in the condo. He headed to his bedroom to change his clothes and noticed Rukia's small body sleeping on his bed. She was hugging his pillow tightly. He crawled on the bed and went to touch her face when a hand quickly swatted his away.

"Fool! Why don't you go hug your other girlfriend?" Rukia said angry.

"She's my _ex_-girlfriend Rukia, and we were just saying goodbye." Ichigo said.

"I see! The next time I want to say bye to a person from the opposite gender I will keep that in mind." She said and gave him her back.

"Why are you trying to pick a fight?" Ichigo said slightly exasperated. He could tell Rukia was jealous but it was odd to him because she had never been the jealous type.

"I'm trying to pick a fight?" She said pointing a finger at herself, "So I'm the bad guy here?" She said as her mouth started turning into an upside-down and trembling U. Her eyes started getting watery.

Ichigo sweat dropped and twitched at the scene. Rukia wasn't normally like this…it _had_ to be the pregnancy.

"N-n-not at all! I'm sorry for even saying that…I'm also sorry for what happened earlier…"Fresh tears formed in Rukia's eyes after he brought up the Rin subject again. He then remembered the one thing that appeared to have been putting her in a good mood.

"I stopped at the place with the hot buns you like on my way home…I got some for us to eat for dinner." He said with a nervous smile.

It was magic. Rukia's tears were gone as well as her. She had dashed to the kitchen in pursuit of the delicious food.

* * *

><p><strong>-A few minutes later—<strong>

Rukia and Ichigo sat in the living room couch eating their hot buns as they watched T.V. Ichigo turned to look at Rukia who appeared to be fine now. Even with all the changes going on around them he couldn't help but be happy. He loved her. And he never thought it possible to love her more than he already did, but somehow his love kept growing. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was carrying his child.

After they were done eating Ichigo washed the dishes and let Rukia rest the food off. When he was done he went to sit next to her again.

"So how was your last day?" She asked hesitantly.

"Fine. It would have been nice for you to stick around. A few of my co-workers wanted to meet the pretty girl I'm leaving it all behind for." He said with a smile.

"Well I would have if you wouldn't have been engaging in questionable activities!" She said and arched her eyebrow.

"Rukia…I was just saying goodbye to Rin when you walked in the door. You know she doesn't mean anything to me!" He said and then got closer to her, "No one can ever come close to what you mean to me" He said and gave her a small peck on the lips.

"So when are you going to tell your sisters about you leaving?" Rukia said trying to change the uncomfortable subject. She hated to be reassured about things that she already knew. She rationalized it and blamed it on her pregnancy hormones.

"I was going to call them tonight. I know they're going to be happy for us. Urahara said he could help us out whenever someone wanted to visit so that will also make them happy. I was also going to go out with the guys tomorrow and if you want you can invite the girls over?"

"Perfect! They can come over early and I can stock up on all my favorite things from this world!" Rukia said with a big grin.

Ichigo sweat dropped a little just thinking about all the things she was going to get but he didn't mind her spending all his money, it's not like he was going to be needing it any longer…

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Thanks for adding the story to your favesalerts and for the reviews :).


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

* * *

><p><strong>**Tokyo**<strong>

Rukia called Tatsuki and Inoue the night before to give them the latest news. They told Rukia not to worry because they would do everything humanly possible to free their schedules and be at Ichigo's condo tomorrow morning.

**-The next morning-**

Rukia was getting ready for her day out with the girls. She was standing in front of the closet wearing a towel trying to decide what to wear when the doorbell rang.

"Ichigo can you please get the door? I'm not ready yet." Rukia said as she continued to rummage through the clothes.

Ichigo was still lying down taking in the lovely view of Rukia wearing only a towel. He didn't really want to get out of the comfort of his bed but he'd rather do what he was told instead of dealing with a grumpy Rukia. He sat up, pulled the blankets off his body and headed to the door.

"Good morning Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue said with her usual high pitched voice.

"Good morning you lucky dog!" Tatsuki said as she threw herself at Ichigo and went to wrestle him.

"Congratulations! I can't believe you're going to be a father _and_ you're getting married in a few days. Oh I can't wait until Uryuu is done with school so that we can get married and have lots of little babies running around too!" Inoue said happily.

"Thanks." Ichigo said as he unhooked from Tatsuki's hold.

"Good morning!" Rukia said walking towards the group. She was wearing jeans with her brown boots and a violet sweater.

"Good morning Kuchiki-san!" Inoue said dashing to hug her and then to rub her belly, "And good morning to you too little one!" She said.

"You're ready to go? It's going to be a long day!" Tatsuki said with a smile. Rukia nodded and they said goodbye to Ichigo.

**-Shopping district-**

The three friends were at a clothing store browsing through the racks.

"So I gotta say I'm surprised you guys are having a baby. That Ichigo was always hasty when it came to you!" Tatsuki said with a grin.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime said.

Rukia blushed. Although she was good friends with the two girls, she wasn't used to talking about such personal stuff with anyone.

"So since Ichigo and the guys are hanging out later I took the liberty to invite Chizuru and some other girls over tonight so we can have some fun too." Tatsuki said winking at Rukia.

After shopping around for most of the day the girls went to get something to eat before heading back to Ichigo's condo. Inoue and Tatsuki were surprised at the amounts of food such a tiny girl could eat. Tatsuki was also surprised that anyone could surpass Inoue at eating sweets.

* * *

><p><strong>-Ichigo's condo-<strong>

Ichigo was getting ready to leave when Rukia, Tatsuki and Inoue arrived carrying a ridiculous amount of bags.

"Hey!" He greeted them but instead was handed all the bags.

"Can you please put the bags in the bedroom?" Rukia asked.

"Are these all yours! ? " Ichigo asked in disbelief. He figured at least some would be Tatsuki's or Inoue's.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rukia asked and put her hands on her hips.

"Nothing!" Ichigo laughed nervously and headed to the bedroom.

"What a jerk!" Tatsuki was heard mumbling.

"Alright I'll see you later tonight." Ichigo said and went to give Rukia a goodbye hug. He was about to give her a kiss as well until he noticed he was being watched by the other two. He pulled away leaving Rukia waiting. Rukia looked at him offended. Tatsuki shook her head and Inoue gave him a disapproving look. Ichigo's head turned to see Rukia, the nosy girls, and then Rukia again. There was no way out of this. He gave Rukia her kiss and left the place as fast as his legs could carry him. Dealing with a pregnant Rukia and two instigators was not easy.

* * *

><p>The girls made themselves comfortable at Ichigo's place as they waited for the rest of their guests. An hour later they started arriving and the place started livening up.<p>

"So you liked him after all!" Natsui said to Rukia. She was the one who had asked her about Ichigo so many years ago. She didn't keep in touch with Ichigo and the rest so she was happy to hear the news. Rukia laughed nervously.

"So Kuchiki-san…were you guys getting busy back then too?" Chizuru asked with a mischievous smile.

"W-w-what?" Rukia said and stopped eating the treat she was enjoying.

"Ichigo was too much of a prude to do anything remotely close to that." Tatsuki said matter-of-factly.

"So who was the one to initiate things?" Chizuru asked as perverted thoughts of Rukia flooded her mind.

"Umm...it kind of just happened." Rukia said nervously.

"You must be a very special girl to have been able to get to Ichigo the way you did…he looked so scary back in high school." Michiru said recalling the hot-headed Ichigo.

"You say that like he's changed! He still looks the same except now he has Rukia to keep him in place!" Tatsuki said.

"Yeah…Kurosaki-kun always needed a strong woman like Kuchiki-san to bring out the best in him." Inoue said nostalgically as she recalled the painful time she thought she was in love with Ichigo.

Tatsuki noticed Inoue's slightly sad mood. "Well enough about that, let's rock this place!" She said changing the subject.

"But we can't drink! It wouldn't be fun for Kuchiki-san." Chizuru said.

"I can bake some treats and we can watch some movies! It can be like a sleepover minus the sleep over part!" Inoue said excited.

"That's actually a great idea Inoue…I was starting to get a little hungry for some snacks." Rukia said.

The girls continued gossiping, watching movies and enjoying their snacks. Rukia smiled happily as she enjoyed her time with the girls and was showered with attention.

* * *

><p><strong>-A trendy bar in Tokyo-<strong>

"Whaaat? ? ? ! !" Keigo yelled earning some eye rolling and annoyed looks from people sitting in the nearby tables.

"That's not surprising at all especially since it's you we're talking about." Mizuiro said of the news.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked.

"Well we all knew that you and Kuchiki-san were doing certain things because of our last conversation." Mizuiro said. Ichigo scowled and Keigo frowned. "So with your luck it was only a matter of time before something like that happened."

"But I am surprised that Kuchiki-san didn't take precautions. She's the one with the brains in the relationship after all." Ishida chimed in and a few veins popped on Ichigo's head at the insult.

"So how is Kuchiki handling the pregnancy anyway?" Chad asked.

"As expected." Ichigo said in an unenthusiastic tone and took a long sip of his drink.

That's all everyone needed to hear to sympathize with their poor friend.

"HA! That's what you get for getting my beautiful Kuchiki-san pregnant!" Keigo said pointing a finger at Ichigo.

"You can stop calling her your Kuchiki-san you moron. Their wedding is a few days away." Ishida said.

"With that note let's party and enjoy the rest of our guys' night out!" Mizuiro said and gave Ichigo an evil smile.

A few hours later everyone was feeling the effects of the alcohol but Ichigo and Ishida more than the rest since they never really drank.

"Kurosaki…*hiccup*…there's something I want you to *hiccup* know." Ishida said drunk in between hiccups. "I consider you… *hiccup* a great friend…even if *hiccup* you are a *hiccup* shinigami…"

"Thaaank you Ishida!" Ichigo said in an uncharacteristic happy tone and darted towards Ishida to give him a bear hug. Ishida hugged him back happily.

"Lightweights" Keigo said of the pair of friends. Chad and Mizuiro sweat dropped at the irony of Keigo making fun of _anyone_ for their ridiculous behavior.

* * *

><p><strong>-Later that night-<strong>

Everyone had already left. They had told Rukia to come visit again and to make sure to send them pictures of her bundle of joy.

*ding dong*

The door bell rang and Rukia got up from the bed groggily to open the door. She was greeted by the sight of a very drunk Ichigo being held up by Keigo and Mizuiro. Ishida was being held up on Chad's shoulder.

"Kuchukiii-saaan, sorry for the late *hiccup* night disturbance." Ishida apologized from above.

"N-n-no problem." Rukia sweat dropped at the scene.

Keigo went to greet Rukia but he froze and started drooling because of what she was wearing. She was only wearing one of Ichigo's t-shirts and perhaps a pair of very tiny shorts. He immediately let go of Ichigo and went to "greet her" properly. Ichigo fell on the floor.

"Kuchiki-san!" He wrapped his arms around her and got to her so fast you would think he could shunpo, "Congratulations on your upcoming wedding to that good-for-nothing Ichigo! Even with a baby on the way just remember that my arms will always be open for you!" He said with waterfall tears.

"Oi! Let go of my Rukia!" Ichigo said as he wobbled drowsily towards the pair.

"I'm just giving her my best!" Keigo said.

"Well…you can do that from far away. She's mine!" Ichigo said in a whiny tone and wrapped his arms protectively around Rukia as he glared at Keigo.

"Ichigo you stink!" Rukia said of the inebriated orange-head.

"Thanks for bringing him home. Do you guys want to stay over tonight?" Rukia asked.

"Thank you for the offer Kuchiki-san but my place is not too far from here and I'd rather not impose. Who knows what ideas Keigo could get into his head with you being so close." Mizuiro said of his friend.

The three guys left leaving Rukia with a drunk Ichigo. She immediately ordered him to take a shower unless he was planning on sleeping on the couch.

A few minutes later after Ichigo's shower they cuddled in bed. Rukia was thinking about the nice day she had and couldn't help but smile. It was all thanks to Ichigo that she had been able to experience friendship, girl bonding time, and all the other new and exciting adventures she experienced in his world.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah…" Ichigo mumbled half-asleep.

"I love you." She said and brought herself closer to him.

"I…love you..." He said and dozed of back to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>**Karakura Town**<strong>

Friday had arrived faster than they had imagined. Ichigo and Rukia walked hand in hand in the melancholic streets of Karakura. It was there where it had all started. When they got to Urahara's shop Ichigo stopped them before going in.

"You know you have a very gloomy face for someone who should be very happy." Ichigo said.

"I do not." Rukia retorted, "I was just thinking about all the things we went through and the time we spent together in this town…"

"You shouldn't be sad when looking back. You should be happy because we were able to meet and spend those moments together. Maybe you should think of our future instead. Tomorrow we're going to be getting married and making new memories _together_." He said as he leaned to kiss her tenderly.

"Would you look at that!" Urahara said opening the door, "I never knew you were a romantic at heart!"

"Awwww" Yuzu, Karin, Inoue, and Tatsuki said in unison.

"You're so sweet onii-chan!" Yuzu said.

"I never thought I'd say this but nicely put Kurosaki." Ishida said and fixed his glasses.

Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro were also there. Their closest friends had gathered at Urahara's to bid the couple farewell.

"Rukia-chan!" Isshin yelled and went to bear hug the tiny girl. "I'm so happy my idiot son didn't manage to scare you away, thanks for putting up with him! I can't wait for my grandson!"

Ichigo swat dropped. Why did his father have to save his embarrassing antics to obnoxiously display them in public.

Urahara left the room and came back a few minutes later with a small pill.

"Kurosaki-kun, after long hours of work I was unable to find a way in which I could preserve your human body and keep it intact. Because of that I chose to go a different route and come up with a way to…" he cleared his throat, "take care of your body. The answer is this pill!" He held it happily in between his thumb and index finger. "Once you take this pill your body will disappear."

"What do you mean disappear?" Ichigo asked nervously.

"It will slowly fade away leaving you in your shinigami form." Urahara reassured him with a smile.

"W-will it hurt?" Ichigo asked. It sounded just as bad as before.

"Don't be silly! I wouldn't create such dangerous things!... But to answer your question no, it will not hurt. You will not feel a thing! Your soul is already a shinigami soul and technically it never needed a human body to begin with." Urahara said mysteriously.

"You don't have to go through this Ichigo…" Rukia said slightly worried.

"Don't you worry Rukia-chan, my son is just being a chicken." Isshin said trying to ease her worries. He trusted Urahara and wouldn't allow him to do anything harmful to his son either.

"Ok, give me the pill Urahara-san." Ichigo said.

Ichigo grabbed the pill and looked at it skeptically. He then closed his eyes and brought it to his mouth. When he swallowed it a bright yellow light engulfed him. Everyone was instantly blinded by it.

The feeling that was going through Ichigo's body wasn't painful. It felt like being under the warm sun. Rukia was the first to open her eyes and was surprised at how beautiful it looked. There was an ethereal glow all over Ichigo that made him look unreal. Everyone else started opening their eyes and taking in the supernatural sight. A few seconds later the light died out and Ichigo stood in his shinigami form

"Congratulations! You are officially a full-fledged shinigami with no human body to return to!" Urahara said and everyone sweat dropped. He could make the strangest jokes sometimes….

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Hope you liked the chapter, it was extra long!<p>

Thanks for the reviews and for adding the story to your faves/alerts. :)


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

* * *

><p><strong>**Urahara's store**<strong>

Everyone stared as Ichigo stood in his shinigami form. He gave them a content smile that showed his closest friends and family how he felt. Now there was no turning back, and there wouldn't be anything getting in the way of his and Rukia's relationship again.

"Kurosaki-kun, I'd like to remind you that I will be happy to provide you a gigai for a great price when you need one!" Urahara said happily.

"_greedy" _

"_money-hungry"_

"_rip-off…"_

Urahara heard whispering but his sly smile never came off of his face as he fanned himself.

"We should probably get going now since nii-sama is waiting for us to have dinner together." Rukia said and then she came out of her gigai followed by Isshin. Yuzu and Karin were going to go as well to attend the wedding.

"You look so pretty Kuchiki-san!" Inoue said of Rukia. She hadn't seen her with her new fuku-taichou badge and her new gloves.

"Thank you Inoue." Rukia said smiling. She was proud of her new style and rank. Ichigo looked at Rukia's proud stance and remembered that she was going to have to give that up for a while. He tried to ignore his pessimistic thoughts before she caught on.

While Urahara got the senkaimon ready, Yuzu appeared uneasy since it was her first time going to soul society and also because her and Karin were not shinigami.

"Yuzu relax! You're so tense it's starting to get on my nerves." Karin said.

"It's ok Yuzu it's not scary in soul society, almost everyone is nice." Rukia said with a reassuring smile.

"Well I'd be scared too if the only the only shinigami I was familiar with were like you or dad." Ichigo said to Rukia mockingly with a crocked smile.

"Fool!" Rukia said and kicked him on the shin. Isshin gave her a big smile that showed how proud he was of her.

"That proves my point…you guys are too damn aggressive!" Ichigo said rubbing his shin.

"Ok it's ready!" Urahara said cutting the lover's bickering.

Everyone said their goodbyes and then the group entered the senkaimon.

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

"We're here!" Rukia said happily as the doors of the senkaimon opened leading the group to the Kuchiki mansion. Yuzu and Karin were impressed at the fact that Rukia lived there and now their brother was going to be living there was well.

"Good afternoon." The group turned towards the direction of the calm voice.

"Good afternoon." They answered politely.

"How was your trip Rukia?" Byakuya asked.

"It went smoothly nii-sama." She answered.

After making small talk everyone followed the noble to the dining room. When they got there they sat and stared in awe at the feast Byakuya had arranged for them.

"I hope the food is to your liking." He said regally. Yuzu and Karin stared at him with heart eyes. Ichigo noticed his sister's reactions and rolled his eyes.

They ate quietly for a few minutes until the family's true colors started showing…

Isshin shifted uncomfortably because of his kneeling position. He wasn't used to eating in such a traditional manner and his feet and legs were starting to get numb. _'I miss the comfort of my chairs.' _He thought and made a dramatic face.

"Stop fooling around." Ichigo said annoyed glaring at his father.

"It's disrespectful to tell your father what to do!" Isshin retorted.

"Well if you acted like a normal person I wouldn't have to!" Ichigo said with a scowl.

Isshin smacked Ichigo on the head and Ichigo hit him back accidentally knocking his food on the table. Soon they started wrestling each other unaware of the shocked expression on Byakuya's face.

"Ichi-nii…Otousan…." Yuzu said nervously with red cheeks.

"Don't even bother Yuzu." Karin said with a dismissive face and continued eating. Rukia simply agreed with Karin and focused on her food.

Byakuya tried to ignore the Kurosaki men and swore to himself that his grandson or granddaughter would have a way better conduct.

After dinner they got a tour of the mansion and the gardens and then were shown to their rooms. Isshin and the girls said goodnight and thanked Byakuya for his hospitality. Ichigo and Rukia started heading to her room hand in hand when they heard Byakuya's voice.

"Ichigo, I am assuming you remember where _your_ guest bedroom is located?" Byakuya said sending Ichigo an icy glare.

Ichigo grumbled but didn't complain. This would be the last day before they got married and he decided to just adhere to Byakuya's old fashioned rules.

* * *

><p>The following day everyone was woken up early by the servants. After breakfast Rukia and the girls left so they could get ready for the wedding. The servants and seamstresses used up the whole time getting them ready. By the time they were done they looked beautiful.<p>

The ceremony was short but meaningful. It was a shinto wedding and only close relatives were allowed. When they were officially wed Ichigo and Rukia looked into each other's eyes. Ichigo caressed her back and then raised her chin to give her a gentle kiss. He didn't like public displays of affection but he made an exception given that even if he wanted to he couldn't resist kissing his new wife.

After the ceremony they went to the Mansion to get ready for the reception. Rukia took the chance to sneak in the kitchen and eat some food. As she ate her treats Ichigo sat next to her and recalled last night's conversation with her brother…

****flashback****

"What do you mean keep it a secret for now? I'm not embarrassed of my child! Is this just so you can save face because of the almighty Kuchiki name?" Ichigo said angrily.

"This is not about you or me or the Kuchiki name Ichigo. Rukia has had a rough time with the nobles before and now that she's pregnant we both know how…_sensitive_ she's gotten. I simply don't want anyone being offensive to her. Even if Rukia herself will not admit it, she is a woman. All women want the 'perfect' wedding. I don't want anyone spoiling her time."

Ichigo understood Byakuya's reasoning. Even if he didn't like certain parts of it he agreed with the man.

"One more thing…" Byakuya said. His tone became slightly ominous, "Being married to Rukia might put you under an excessive amount of scrutiny not only amongst the nobles but with just about everyone in soul society. You must remember that wasting energy on such minute matters is pointless." Byakuya said and walked away.

Ichigo could only stare at the figure of the noble with wide eyes. Had Kuchiki Byakuya just given him friendly advice?

****end of flashback****

"All done!" Rukia said with a big smile. Ichigo looked at her tenderly. She was so cute in his eyes.

"Ok. Let's go before someone yells at us for sneaking away." Ichigo said getting up and extended his hand towards her. He walked her to her room so that she could get changed into her next kimono.

* * *

><p><strong>*Reception*<strong>

The reception was a completely different affair than their earlier intimate ceremony. Rukia had suggested that to have it at the mansion. She didn't like big affairs and would be happy with something more low-key. Byakuya compromised and said it would be best to have a formal reception up to par with the expectations of the Kuchiki clan, and then they could have a gathering at the mansion afterwards.

The location Byakuya chose for the reception was one of the most luxurious halls only used by nobles and very high ranking shinigami. The hall had wooden floors, and there were countless tables covered in fine white linens. The chairs were also covered in white and had white satin bows. There were candles and flower arrangements everywhere as well as a live band playing harmonious music. The wedding had the splendor of a Kuchiki noble wedding indeed.

The guest list included the nobles close to the Kuchiki clan, the commander, and the captains and lieutenants. Per Rukia's request a few other shinigami such as Hanataro, Ikkaku, and Yumichikia were invited.

Everyone was excited and curious about the wedding. There was speculation that it was because Rukia was pregnant but they weren't certain. The fact that Rukia was marrying someone who was not a noble was also the talk of the people, but the biggest subject amongst the guests was about _who_ she was marrying.

Ichigo was an incredibly complex character to all. They didn't know what to think of him. They were grateful for his heroic actions that saved soul society, but given the snobbishness of the nobles it was hard for them to see past his harsh unpolished persona. The only tables that were not divulging rumors or theories were those of the couple's fellow shinigami comrades.

**-Another room not too far from the main hall-**

Ichigo was staring out the window fidgeting incessantly. From what Rukia had told him, the guest list was over the top thanks to her dear nii-sama. He didn't care what people thought about him but he also didn't like being under a microscope. Rukia noticed her husband's nervousness and walked to him.

He turned when he felt her presence next to him. She looked so beautiful. Her eyes were full of love; they said what a thousand words could never manage to express. He smiled. All he needed was to see those loving eyes of hers for him to feel grounded again.

* * *

><p>When the couple finally made their entrance to the elegant room everyone turned to stare and the conversations dropped quickly. It became so silent you could hear the drop of a needle. Rukia was the embodiment of perfection. She was wearing a traditional red silk kimono with long sleeves and embroidered flowers. Only someone with the Kuchiki name could get such a fancy and expensive kimono. The couple was introduced and everyone cheered.<p>

The rest of the night was going as planned. They enjoyed a lavish dinner, greeted their guests, and danced a little.

Although he was thankful for everything, Ichigo was getting tired of the uptight ambiance. He decided to leave Rukia for a bit with Karin and Yuzu while he went to sit at Renji's table.

Rukia, Yuzu, and Karin were chatting away when a tall man with straight black hair made their way to them…

"I see you were invited." Rukia said with a stern tone.

"Why wouldn't I? I'm a close friend of the Kuchiki family and part of the nobility. So you actually got your way and married your Mr. nobody, huh?" He said with an arrogant tone.

"Don't talk to Rukia-chan in that tone or about my brother like that!" Karin said and sprung from her chair immediately.

"That's right you two are the sisters of that…man." Kain said giving them a belittling look.

"You get under my skin so bad! I will not allow you to insult my family or my husband." Rukia said and got up from her seat agitated, "Leave!"

By now people were starting to stare. Byakuya had been keeping a close eye on his sister in case something like this happened, so even though he was on the other side of the room he felt her reiatsu spike and quickly made his way to her.

Kain gave Rukia a surprisingly hurt look but unfortunately he was a deeply scorned man. Instead of retreating he decided to continue and take out his anger on the girl he could never have.

"My, my…it appears that the Kuchiki family simply could not buy enough decorum for you. How shameful to the-" He didn't get to finish since his jaw was greeted by a powerful blow and his body was thrown against a nearby chair.

Byakuya un-fisted his hand and gave his childhood friend a disgusted look. "I remember now why we didn't keep in touch." With that said he signaled for the servants to escort him out.

"_Don't_ touch me." Kain said. He sent Byakuya and Rukia an angry glare and made his way out the hall.

"Are you ok Rukia?" Byakuya asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes nii-sama, thank you." She said.

"Rukia!" Ichigo said nervously as he finally made his way to her. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Nii-sama took care of the problem." She said with a reassuring smile.

Ichigo turned to see Byakuya with thankful but regretful eyes. He hated not being the one to protect _his_ Rukia.

The elegant party continued on for a while longer. When it was over the few selected guests headed to the mansion for the after-party.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

The taichous and fuku-taichous could finally loosen up. Even though the wedding reception was lavish and beautiful, it had felt too formal for their liking. The after party was being held at the Kuchiki gardens. It was very low-key and relaxing, just what everyone needed after the long day…

"Man those nobles sure are boring!" Matsumoto said to the shinigami around her. Byakuya overheard and sent her an icy glare. "Except for Kuchiki-taichou that is!" She nervously corrected herself and downed her sake.

"That idiot Kain is lucky I wasn't the one who caught him talking to Rukia otherwise I would have beat him to a pulp!" Renji said.

"I regret not punching him in the face like I wanted to back when I first met him…How the hell did Rukia get along with him anyway?" Ichigo said slightly jealous at the thought.

"Beats me!" Renji said still fuming.

"So I hear you're here for good, huh?" Kenpachi said changing the topic with an evil smile.

"Y-yes" Ichigo answered hesitantly.

"Then you're gonna be working with us? Do you know what division you will be stationed in?" Ikkaku asked curiously.

"Maybe he's going to need to go to the shinigami academy now that he's a full-blown shinigami…I remember _my_ days at the academy." Matsumoto said with a drunk naughty voice.

"That's all a bunch of bull!…men like me and Ichigo only need brute strength!" Kenpachi said.

"Having him in our division would certainly make it more beautiful." Yumichika said playing with his feather eyebrows.

"Whatever the case Kurosaki would need some form of education to familiarize himself with official shinigami ways." Hitsugaya said in his deep voice.

"Correct as always Hitsugaya taichou!" Ukitake said smiling as he approached the group.

"Kurosaki-kun, I know no one is supposed to know about Rukia's….condition yet but I wanted to tell you I came up with a solution about work in which both of you will be happy." Ukitake whispered in his ear.

Ichigo's eyes widened in interest and Ukitake led him away from the group.

"So what's the plan Ukitake-san?" Ichigo asked.

"It's quite simple. Rukia could do administrative work for a couple more months while you can slowly take over the more physical duties of her job. She will teach you the ropes, and when she is further along in her pregnancy you can take over her fuku-taichou position completely…at least until she feels she might be ready to come back."

"That's awesome!" Ichigo said loudly. "But will old Yamamoto be ok with it?"

"I already asked him. I didn't want to bring this up and have your hopes crushed if he said no." Ukitake said with a serene smile.

"Thank you Ukitake-san!" Ichigo said.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Sorry for the very late update. With school starting and everything I've been extra busy :(. My semesters are usually very hectic but I'm going to try to update at least once a week. I hope you guys keep reading the story and continue to let me know if you like it and all that…<p>

Good luck to everyone who started or is starting school again!

Also, thanks for adding the story to your faves/alerts and for the reviews =D


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

After the last guests either left or passed out in the gardens, Ichigo eagerly scooped his bride up and headed to her room. When they got there he set her down gently. He watched as she adjusted her fancy kimono slightly annoyed at the heavy fabric. He finally got her attention when he put his hands around her waist and she looked up to see him.

He was looking at her with gentle eyes thinking of how their relationship had evolved from when they first met. He recalled being annoyed by her so much and yet being attracted like a magnet to her mysterious and complex character. He wasn't one to let people in so easily, but with her he didn't have a choice. Having her in his life felt like a given…something that shouldn't be questioned because that was simply how it was supposed to be. And then, the more she became part of his life the more protective he became of her until he finally realized he could never be complete without her by his side.

As Ichigo looked at her intently and pondered about the many reasons why he loved her she did the same. He had also been a mystery to her since their first meeting. The feelings he awoke in her heart were frightening but somehow she could never stay away or guarded for too long. He had plowed through every wall in her heart and stayed in her thoughts and soul eternally.

They smiled because even with all the obstacles life had thrown their way they couldn't be torn apart. In their hearts they felt like they had always been linked but it also felt nice to be officially wed. Especially for Ichigo due to his silly jealousy and protective issues; as of today Rukia was officially _his_ wife.

Rukia's hands moved to his shoulders and brought him closer to her as she stood on her tip toes and cranked her neck to place her lips on his. He responded to the kiss and moved one of his hands up from her back to her neck to deepen it. She moaned slightly. She didn't think she could ever get enough of her hunky husband. She gracefully removed his kimono exposing his muscular frame.

Ichigo started trying to undo her complicated clothing. He tried to be smooth about it and continue kissing her while he undid it but it was proving to be slightly unsuccessful. Rukia noticed the tugging and Ichigo's off-sync kisses and started giggling.

"What's so funny?" He said with a frown as he pulled away from the kiss.

"You don't have to be so stubborn even in our wedding night." Rukia said with a smile on her face at the flustered Ichigo since she loved teasing him. She then pushed him on the futon and he fell clumsily.

"And you don't have to be so rough." He said with his frown.

She rolled her eyes but instead of retorting she looked at him with shinning deep violet eyes and smirked. She then started removing her kimono slowly until she was left with a very thin and silky slip. Ichigo stared and gulped.

"Better?" She said in a sultry voice and made her way to her speechless husband.

She sat next to him on the futon and brushed a few rebellious bangs off his forehead. She then traced the outline of his strong jaw with her fingertips and leaned closer to give him a leisurely paced kiss. She was taking her sweet time savoring every nibble and taste of his soft lips.

The slow pace of her kisses and her gentle touches were driving him crazy. He had been waiting all day to be with her. He broke off the kiss, pushed himself up and placed his arms on her sides so that he was hovering over her. She smiled at his sudden movements and stayed put.

He stared intensely at her in preparation of his next move. He smirked and then leaned towards her as if he was going to give her a kiss. She closed her eyes and parted her lips in expectance of the kiss but instead he directed his attention to her jaw and neck.

"Fool." She said with her eyes closed and pulled on his messy hair.

Ichigo's fingers played with the silky slip she was wearing as he continued to kiss her and run his other hand over her body. Rukia was enjoying his ministrations but she wanted to feel closer to him. She started teasing him by leisurely undoing the obi tying his hakama.

He got the hint of where his wife was headed and effortlessly removed her silky slip. The newlywed couple continued to enjoy their love for a while longer until they fell asleep tangled in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>Rukia was the first to open her eyes. The sun appeared to be very bright so she figured it must already be late in the morning. She didn't care. Being in the arms of her husband was the only place she needed and wanted to be at the moment. A few minutes later she started getting restless. She was enjoying cuddling with Ichigo but she was now certain that she would much rather enjoy a big and nice breakfast.<p>

"Ichigo" She finally called.

Ichigo stretched a bit and then opened his eyes.

"Good morning" He said and gave her a kiss on top of her head.

"I'm hungry." She said straight to the point.

Ichigo rubbed his eyes and smiled. It figures that's the first thing she would tell him.

They got dressed and headed to the dining room. When they got there Byakuya, Isshin, Yuzu, and Karin were having tea. Everyone greeted each other normally except for Isshin. He had darted to Rukia as soon as she entered the room.

"My daughter!" he said as he kneeled and hugged her midsection. "I hope my idiot son wasn't too rough on you in the heat of the passion last night!"

Byakuya choked on his tea rather ungracefully, Yuzu wished she could crawl in a hole and disappear, and even Karin tried to busy herself and stuff her mouth with a sweet bun.

"W-w-what?" Rukia said and turned beet red.

"Get off of her you perverted old man!" Ichigo said and kicked his father away from Rukia.

"You ungrateful son! I'm only saying this because I care about my daughter's health. I _am_ a doctor after all….Besides, I noticed the way you were looking at her all day yesterday and wanted you to know you need to cool off your manly desires." Isshin said matter-of-factly.

"Isshin" Byakuya called and the room became quiet. "Last night was their wedding night. Even if we don't like it they can express their love in those ways as well. I am sure that Ichigo knows to be gentle and careful with Rukia." He finished and looked away with what appeared to be a slight blush.

The now self-conscious Ichigo could not believe it. Not only had his father crossed the line more than usual, but now it appeared that Byakuya had gone crazy as well! What the heck was it about his love life that everyone thought they had the right to comment about it. Why did they find it so freaking amusing!

"Come sit my daughter, I made you and my future grandbaby a spot next to mine" Isshin said and took her hand to guide her to said spot.

The lively family continued eating until it was time to leave, afterwards Rukia and Ichigo walked them to the senkaimon. Yuzu's eyes became watery because she was going to miss her brother and Rukia. She threw her arms around both.

"Ichi-nii...Rukia-chan..." She said.

"Why are you so sad? You wouldn't see us often anyway since you're away at college" Ichigo said trying to cheer her up.

She wiped her tears away and allowed Karin to hug them next. Karin hugged them but was trying to conceal her sadness. Rukia caught on because she herself was the same way and her eyes started getting watery. She decided to be the one to say something nice instead.

"We'll miss you Karin. And thanks for coming to be with us this weeke-" she was cut off.

"I'm so happy you guys are finally a family...it makes me so happy." Karin blurted with her unshed tears of happiness. She knew what they had to go through to finally make it here today.

When they were done saying goodbye Isshin hugged Rukia and told her she was doing a great job at keeping Ichigo in line and to keep it up. He then elbowed Ichigo, gave him a big smile and told him he would try to come every weekend possible. Ichigo grimaced at this but nodded in agreement.

When Ichigo's family left, a few stray tears made their way down Rukia's cheek. Ichigo brought her close to him in a warm embrace. He couldn't express his happiness for being married to the love of his life and also because of the happiness she brought not only to him but to his family as well. They started walking towards the mansion as Ichigo's thoughts went wild _–like usual-_ at the things to come.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! So this chapter is shorter than the ones I've been writing lately but it's full of IchiRuki fluff! Hope you guys liked it :) r-n-r<p>

Also, thanks for the awesome reviews and adding the story to your faves/alerts!


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

**-13****th**** Division-**

It was the end of the day and Ichigo had been officially welcomed into to the 13th division. Ukitake was at his desk getting ready to leave. Rukia was showing Ichigo how to do some of the tedious paperwork of their squad.

"So how does it feel to be officially part of the squad Kurosaki-san?" Ukitake asked from his desk. Ichigo looked up to see the man.

"It was fine. I think it'll take some getting used to." He said frankly.

"Don't you worry Kurosaki-san, you're in good hands and you also have a few more months to train under your wife." Ukitake said.

"Yeah…" Ichigo agreed and turned to look at Rukia. He could tell she was tired because it had been a long day.

"Ok, see you two tomorrow!" Ukitake said with a smile and left the office.

"Good night Ukitake taichou." Rukia said.

Rukia continued showing Ichigo a few more things until she realized he wasn't paying attention to her anymore. A few minutes later they were about to leave the building when they heard a group of shinigami whispering around the corner…

"_I knew there was something shady…I guess you can only get a sweet deal like that when you've got connections to the nobles!"_

"_It sure as hell is nice!"_

"_Still, it was a little creepy when Kuchiki got the promotion because no one had taken it since Kaien…but now Kurosaki is going to be taking it?"_

"_What's creepier is how much he looks like Kaien…"_

"_This whole thing is freaking creepy!"_

"What the heck is the meaning of this useless gathering! ? Instead of moving your mouths talking about idiotic nonsense I suggest you either get to your jobs immediately or get lost!" Rukia yelled with a rigid voice at the now trembling group of low-ranking shinigami.

"Yes Kuchiki fuku-taichou!" They said.

"It isn't Kuchiki, it's Kurosaki you fools!" She said.

"Y-y-yes…Kurosaki fuku-taichou!" They said even more nervous and scattered.

The whole time Ichigo just stood perplexed next to his wife. He was impressed and content at how she handled the situation, but he couldn't deny he was a bit disturbed about what they were saying. The last time he had dealt with pity gossip was in high school and he always ignored it but this was different. He was an adult now and this was the first day of his new job.

"Let's go Ichigo." She said in a firm voice. Rukia noticed the look on her husband's face but knew this wasn't the place to discuss such complex matters.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

After dinner Ichigo and Rukia headed to their room for some much needed time to relax. Byakuya had arranged for the left wing of the mansion to be only for them. The left wing had their master bedroom along with ten other extra bedrooms and servants at their disposal. Their master bedroom was bigger than Rukia's old room and had a view of the river.

Ichigo propped a few pillows by the wooden ledge that overlooked said river and they sat in tranquility taking in the night air. A servant set some tea by them. Ichigo stared slightly uncomfortable at the busy servant. He wasn't used to having people tending to him and doing simple things such as serving the tea for him. A few minutes of silence later…

"Don't let it bother you Ichigo." Rukia said recalling the gossiping shinigami from earlier. "Some people are just idiots and don't know what they're talking about."

"I know. I used to deal with that in high school." He said but continued to look solemnly at the flowing waters of the river.

"Well, why do you appear so bothered if you know they're lies?" She asked.

He just sat there. Although her words made sense, he still felt something eating at him.

"What was it? The comment about the nobles? You know no one did anything to get you that job, not nii-sama or me!" She said and crossed her arms. "Being part of the Gotei 13 is the least you deserve for saving soul society. Those weaklings couldn't do half of what you've done put together."

He smiled at how defensive his wife got of him. Ichigo thought of Rukia highly so he was happy to hear such words come from her.

"That wasn't what bothered me." He finally said.

"Well what was it then?" She asked bothered. She didn't give him that long speech for nothing.

"What they said about your old fuku-taichou…did he really look that much like me?" He said a little apprehensive. The truth was that he had always hated the fact that he 'resembled' Kaien and now that he was going to take over his old position just made it worse.

"So this is about Kaien-dono?" She said and smiled. "Yes. He did resemble you a bit minus the bright orange hair obviously, but if no one had occupied his position since then it had nothing to do with us….but I'm sure you are also wondering about what type of relationship I had with him?" She said looking up to see his eyes.

"Like you told me before, I'll listen anytime _you_ are ready to talk about it." He said trying not to let his interest in the topic show.

She smiled. Even if he tried to hide it she could tell he was curious. She took a sip of her tea before she began.

"Kaien-dono was my mentor, someone I looked up to as a person and as a teammate. I'm not going to lie and say my feelings stopped at that because truthfully speaking I developed a slight crush on him as well. Whenever I would see him and his wife together I thought of how much I wanted what they had. I wanted someone like him to love me the way he loved his wife…not to mention I looked up to her as well. She was strong and yet the most beautiful woman I had ever seen…" Rukia took a break from her story to take another sip of her tea. She looked intently at the river as memories of long ago flooded her mind.

"Back then I was young and naïve. I had no idea what the meaning of true love was. I got a glimpse of it when Kaien-dono fought and died until the very end trying to protect his pride and that of his wife…" She said as a few glistening tears made their way down her face. Recalling that night was something she hated doing. She wiped the tears away and continued.

"And then I met you. Sure you might have resembled Kaien-dono but that wasn't why I gave my life for you when we first met. I did it because I swore to never run away and to put my life on the line if it meant fulfilling my duties as a shinigami."

Ichigo smiled relieved. He had always felt a tiny pang of jealousy at the whole Kaien thing, especially after the Aizen speech so many years ago.

"Just so you know you're the only man I've ever loved…you've given me what I dreamed of so long ago." She said looking away. She was a little shy because she wasn't used to saying such mushy things.

"And I better be the last one." He said playfully and brought her in his arms.

* * *

><p><strong>-13<strong>**th**** Division-**

The following day Rukia was showing Ichigo around the training grounds, the procedures on how they trained, and other rules they needed to follow. When it was time to actually train, the shinigami gathered and lined up in front of Rukia and Ichigo. Rukia smirked and put her hands on her waist as she scanned the lines looking for a few particular shinigami.

"You, you , you….and you to the front!" Rukia yelled and they timidly made their way to her. She then spoke to them as well as the whole group.

"As you all know, Kurosaki-san will be taking my position of fuku-taichou in a few months. He needs to be instructed on how to properly train his men and I will be showing him how to do so today."

With that said Rukia showed Ichigo the proper ways to train the squad. She had Ichigo train with the four gossipers and made sure they got what they deserved. By the end of the training and after experiencing only a bit of Ichigo's power first hand it was clear they would never say anything against him or Rukia again.

"Damn Rukia is this how you train the squad every day?" Ichigo said wiping his forehead.

"You have a problem with it? You know technically I'm still your superior." She said with a half smile.

Ichigo rolled his eyes but decided not to argue with his pregnant wife.

* * *

><p><strong>**Three months later**<strong>

Rukia was now five months pregnant. She had stopped working a month ago at Ichigo's request. She was still tiny but now she had a very visible bump.

It was a very boring Friday evening. Byakuya and Ichigo were at their squads, but because it was the end of the month they had a lot of work to do and wouldn't come home until very late at night.

Rukia was craving chocolate chip cookies, potato chips, cherry lollipops, and apple juice from the real world. Her and her bump made their way to the kitchen.

"Do we have any more of that cookie mix that Ichigo got last week from the world of the living?" She asked the mansion's chef as she rubbed her belly.

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-sama, you finished it a few days ago." The chef answered.

"How about anything else from over there then?" She asked.

"No…Kurosaki-sama hasn't gone to the world of the living since last week. Would you like me to prepare something else for you?" The chef asked.

"No that's ok. Thank you." She said disappointed and made her way back to her room. She was really craving those snacks! She got an idea in her head. Something she knew she shouldn't even be considering due to safety reasons.

'_My baby really wants those snacks…I guess if I go now I'll be able to return fast enough so that nii-sama and Ichigo won't even know I ever left. Either way I can take perfect care of myself…'_ She thought and decided to head off into the world of the living to get her snacks. She just couldn't ignore her cravings….

* * *

><p><strong>**Urahara's store**<strong>

Rukia managed to get to the world of the living with no setbacks. She headed to Urahara's to get her gigai.

"Oh Kuchiki-san! What a lovely surprise. I never thought I'd say this but you've gained some weight." He said playfully.

"It's not because I'm getting fat, I'm pregnant!...and it's Kurosaki." Rukia said slightly annoyed.

"I know, I know…by the way, you came alone?" Urahara said as he looked around.

"I just came to pick up a few items from the store. _Do not_ mention this to Ichigo or nii-sama." She said with a stern tone.

"Y-y-yes" Urahara agreed. A pregnant Rukia was rather scary.

Rukia got her gigai and headed to the convenience store a few blocks away. She was pleased with the way her gigai looked and felt. She looked every inch the pregnant woman that she was.

When she got to the store she was in heaven. By the time she exited she came out with two bags full of goodies. She had no idea she was craving so much…she would either have to hide her snacks or eat them all tonight before Ichigo and her brother got back. She didn't want them to find any evidence of her trip.

She was having a hard time carrying the bags and didn't notice the presence of a prying hollow. She set down her bags to rearrange them when she suddenly felt the hollow's strong presence. She turned around defensively. Unfortunately, it was too late. She managed to protectively embrace her belly before the side of her body was hit by the hollow's arm. Her unsuspecting body landed limply on the sidewalk….

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Hope you guys liked the update. I noticed the storyline was getting boring so I decided to add some drama. Muahahahaha! =D<p>

On a different note, it looks like my semester is going to get kind of intense in a few weeks but I've been getting a lot of new ideas for this story so I'm going to try to write them up now that I have time. Hope everyone is still enjoying the story, but if you guys feel I should start wrapping it up instead feel free to let me know! =D


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

* * *

><p><strong>**Karakura Town**<strong>

"Strange…you don't look like a shinigami but your soul smells so delicious. Oh well! It doesn't matter because I'm just going to eat you anyway!" The creepy looking hollow said as he stomped towards Rukia's limp body. He leaned over and took a whiff of Rukia's scent with its long white nose. "Mmmhhh" He said. He then stretched his arm and went to reach for her…

"Nake, Benihime" Urahara yelled and a red energy blast quickly vanished the prying hollow. The hollow turned into small particles next to Rukia's body. Urahara then made his way to Rukia's unconscious body on the sidewalk and frowned. He was happy to have made it in time before something worse happened. He gently picked her up and figured he would heal her at his shop.

"Urahara!" Isshin called. He had sensed Urahara's spiritual pressure and found it odd so he decided to check it out. His eyes darted to Rukia's unconscious body and widened in shock. As he took in the scene in front of him his heart ached with pain and worry for her, the baby, and Ichigo. Her arms hanged lifelessly, there was blood dripping from the side of her head and her dress was torn and dirty.

"It looks like she got thrown by the hollow. We can take her to the shop and-" He was cut off.

"No. Let's take her to the clinic. I'll be able to aid her better since she's in a gigai." Isshin said in a serious tone trying to keep composed in the distressing situation. Urahara followed with Rukia in his arms. They didn't want to move her battered body more than needed.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kurosaki Clinic**<strong>

When they got to the clinic Isshin led them to a bright white room that had all kinds of medical equipment. Urahara put Rukia down on a medical bed while Isshin immediately go to work by setting up an IV and hooking it up to Rukia as well as a heart monitor to check her and the baby's heart beat.

Urahara stood in a corner watching as Isshin frantically checked everything a doctor should. He could tell Isshin was trying hard not to give into the despair and fears of his daughter in law and his future grandchild's lives being at risk. Isshin stepped out of the room to go run some tests.

Urahara took this chance to go by Rukia and heal the small wounds and bruises on her body with kidou. He also tried to feel if she had been inflicted with any of the hollow's energy. He was disappointed but not shocked when he felt the hollow's energy within her. He took a small glass tube from his robe and with a chant put some of Rukia's reiatsu in the tube. He quickly put it away.

A few minutes later he heard the door open again. Isshin walked in and made his way to the side of the bed. He stared at Rukia with sadness in his eyes.

"Thanks for healing what you could." He said as he noticed most of the bruises and scrapes were gone.

"That's what friends are for." Urahara said. He took a deep breath before telling some of the information he knew. "Your son doesn't know she's here. Apparently she wanted some snacks from this world and she must have not had anyone to come with her because she came alone and specifically said not to say anything to Kurosaki-kun or Byakuya."

Isshin sighed heavily before speaking. "I'll wait until I'm done running her tests before contacting Ichigo then. I want to make sure everything is fine so he doesn't panic on his way here."

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

Ichigo was the first to get home. The physical aspects of his job as a fukutaichou weren't a problem for him but the stacks of paperwork drained him to no end. He headed to the master bedroom with a smile on his face. He had missed his wife and growing baby bump. He opened the sliding doors and looked around surprised to not find her there. He exited their bedroom through the other sliding doors that led to the garden to look for her there.

After an unsuccessful search of the Kuchiki gardens he remembered something and smiled. _'The kitchen…why didn't I think of it sooner.'_ He headed towards said destination but when he got there he looked around at no avail.

"Is there anything I can help you with Kurosaki-sama?" A servant asked.

"I'm looking for my wife." He said simply.

"She came in a few hours ago but left slightly disappointed since we didn't have any of her requested foods." The chef said as he left what he was doing to walk towards Ichigo. "She appeared to be in the mood for snacks from the world of the living."

Ichigo's eyes widened with fear at this. "Thanks for your help." He said and left.

'_She wouldn't leave on her own, that's impossible…she knows better than to risk her life and that of the baby…she wouldn't…'_ His thoughts were interrupted.

"Ichigo." Byakuya said causing Ichigo to jump slightly at the intruding voice.

"I think she's gone." Ichigo said with fear drenched in his voice as he turned to see Byakuya.

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya said.

"Rukia…I think she left alone to the world of the living. I'm going to look for her!" Ichigo said and turned around.

Byakuya was surprised but didn't need to hear the details. Without further questions he caught up to Ichigo. "I'm going with you."

* * *

><p><strong>**Karakura Town**<strong>

Ichigo and Byakuya arrived at Karakura. They immediately tried sensing for her reiatsu with no luck.

"Instead of looking around for her aimlessly it might be wise to contact the shinigami stationed here." Byakuya suggested.

"No." Ichigo said and closed his eyes. He then focused his energy and sprit threads emerged from the ground. A few seconds later he found Rukia's.

"Let's go!" Ichigo said and shunpoed to his destination.

Byakuya followed. He hated to admit it but he was quite impressed by Ichigo. He was happy to see that his love for Rukia showed in everything he did.

A few minutes later Ichigo stopped in front of the Kurosaki clinic. He sensed that Rukia and his father were not in the house but in the clinic side of the house. He also sensed Urahara. _'Something had to have happened.'_ He thought worriedly but hoped for the best.

Byakuya noticed his ominous aura but didn't think anything needed to be said. He simply followed.

Ichigo headed to the room he knew his dad liked the most because it had the best equipment. He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of his unconscious wife lying on the bed hooked up to monitors, an IV, and a bandaged head. His eyes instantly became teary but he held back the tears.

"R-r-rukia…" He said and walked to the side of the bed ignoring the other men in the room. He then kneeled down and gently caressed her right hand since that one didn't have the IV needle in it.

"What happened?" Byakuya asked trying to sound composed by masking his shock and fear. His eyes had also become a bit watery so he averted everyone's eyes and focused on Rukia.

"She came and said she was only here to buy a few snacks at the store…a few minutes later I sensed a hollow and her reiatsu peaked. When I got to the scene I was able to kill off the hollow before he inflicted any further damage." Urahara answered in a dim tone.

"Dammit!" Ichigo yelled trying to control his anger.

"I already took some tests. The baby appears to be fine as well as her…she's just unconscious due to the impact of hitting her head so hard on the sidewalk." Isshin said in hopes of calming Ichigo's worries.

"Thanks dad." Ichigo said softly.

Urahara, Isshin and Byakuya left the room to give Ichigo some time alone with his wife. They sat in the small waiting area.

"I think I should probably get going, I didn't tell anyone I was leaving the store. Call me if you need anything." Urahara said.

"Thanks Kisuke." Isshin said.

"Thank you very much for you help." Byakuya said as well. Urahara gave them a sympathetic smile and walked out the door.

"Do you drink coffee?" Isshin asked the noble.

"Is that some kind of tea?" Byakuya asked.

"Something like that…I'll be right back." Isshin said and went to prepare three cups of strong coffee (an extra one in case Ichigo wanted some).

A few minutes later Isshin came back and set a cup in front of Byakuya.

"Thank you." The regal man said as he put down the magazine he was reading and took a careful sip of this 'coffee'.

"This drink is quite flavorful." Byakuya commented pleased.

Isshin was about to continue the small conversation when Ichigo came out of the room and sat down defeated on the couch.

"Rukia-chan is probably going to be sleeping all night. You can prepare a room for yourself and Byakuya and I'll watch over her tonight that way I can check on her some more if she wakes up." Isshin said to Ichigo.

"No. I'd rather stay with her…I'll call you if she wakes up." Ichigo said with determination. He wanted to be by her side at all times and be the one to protect her. He also wanted to be the first to see her face when she finally awoke.

"Ok." Isshin said and handed Ichigo his coffee. Isshin and Byakuya kept Ichigo company for a few more minutes until they finished their coffee

* * *

><p>The following morning came and Rukia was still unconscious. Ichigo went to take a shower and to take a small nap. Byakuya was in the room watching as Isshin ran some more tests.<p>

"She has been unconscious for some time now. Is this normal? Will this affect the baby?" Byakuya asked concerned.

"The baby's heart rate appears to be fine which is an indication that nothing should be wrong. Rukia-chan's vitals are also fine which means that physically she is ok but…" Isshin hated to tell him the next part. "I'm not sure what type of damage she received to the head. We'll have to take her to the hospital to find out." He said solemnly and took a seat on the chair next to Byakuya.

About an hour later Ichigo came back in the room. Even with a nap and a shower he still looked the same. He had bags under his eyes and they could tell he had been crying since his eyes were slightly puffy and red.

"So what's going on with Rukia dad?" He asked softly without meeting his father's eyes and took his spot on the chair closest to the bed. He set his wife's hand carefully in his own.

Isshin relayed the dreaded information to his son. Ichigo lowered his head to Rukia's tiny hand. "Dammit Rukia…all this because of some stupid snacks…why couldn't you just wait until I got back." He said with a shaky voice. He then set her hand down and left the room.

Byakuya and Isshin heard some ruckus after he closed the door. They knew Ichigo was taking out his anger on the innocent walls and random items around him but decided to let him be. They both knew firsthand the pain of losing their soul mates. Byakuya had lost Hisana to a sickness that slowly killed her and Isshin had lost his wife instantly due to a hollow. They had an idea of what Ichigo was currently feeling but hoped that he would _never_ fully go through the pain of losing the one you love.

Urahara showed up at the Kurosaki Clinic during Ichigo's rampage.

"Urahara..." Ichigo said looking up to see the man.

_'Oh boy...'_ Urahara thought. Telling Ichigo the new information he discovered was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! So here's another chapter. It's kind of angsty and I felt kind of bad for Ichigo while writing it :(…<p>

Anyway, thanks for reviewing and adding the story to your faves/alerts =D


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

* * *

><p>**Note: To shorten the name, I will be referring to Ichigo's inner hollow as Hichigo.**<p>

* * *

><p><strong>**Kurosaki Clinic**<strong>

"Kurosaki-kun…I have some news for you and the rest." Urahara said slightly uncomfortable to have caught Ichigo in the middle of his mini-rampage.

"Oh…ok." Ichigo said and went to get his dad and Byakuya.

A few minutes later Isshin, Byakuya, and Ichigo sat in the waiting area. They stared intently at Urahara waiting for whatever news he had for them.

"Yesterday I took the liberty of taking a reiatsu sample from Rukia-chan. After I left the clinic I went to analyze it at my lab and found something rather interesting." Urahara said pausing before moving on. "Unfortunately, my findings will bring much dreaded news so hear me out before jumping into…"

"Just say it Urahara-san!" Ichigo said slightly agitated.

"Ichigo, Urahara is only trying to help, there is no need to-" Byakuya was cut off.

"No need to what? Yell? Would you be able to keep calm if you knew your wife and baby were in danger? I doubt even the almighty Byakuya could keep his cool then!" Ichigo yelled and got up from his seat.

"Ichigo" Isshin called. Without a word Ichigo unwillingly took his seat again to let Urahara continue.

"Rukia-chan's reiatsu sample showed traces of an odd hollow that cannot be destroyed like your average hollow. Specifically, after being cut, the hollow's energy deposits itself in the closest victim due to its survival instincts. So when I thought I killed it with Benihime the hollow deposited itself in Rukia-chan's body instead." Urahara said.

"So you're saying Rukia's body has been taken over by a hollow?" Byakuya asked bitterly.

"If my assumptions are correct, it might still be trying to take over her otherwise Rukia-chan would have turned into a hollow by now. I have a hunch that she's been trying to fight off the hollow in her inner world this whole time." Urahara said.

"So how do we kill it?" Ichigo said with anger in his voice. Thinking of Rukia fighting a hollow while pregnant made his blood boil.

"That's the tricky part…the only way for it to die without taking another victim is if it is killed by one of its own." Urahara said mysteriously.

"You mean it has to be killed by a hollow? That's impossible!" Isshin said wailing his arms.

"Can I do it?" Ichigo said softly and everyone's eyes went to him. He hated that side of him and his suggestion might not work but he was willing to try anything at this point.

"Indeed Kurosaki-kun. I already came up with a plan. It's risky but it's the only option we have." Urahara said and started rattling off the plan.

"So basically I have to go into her inner-world, have her swallow a pill that will expel the hollow and then kill it? It's not as bad as you made it sound." Ichigo said feeling more hopeful than he had since this whole thing.

* * *

><p>The four men headed to Rukia's room. Isshin brought another medical bed and set it next to Rukia's. A few minutes later Tessai showed up with a few devices and computers. Byakuya and Isshin sat down and watched Urahara set up the equipment.<p>

"Ready when you are!" Urahara said to Ichigo slightly excited. Isshin and Byakuya sent him an irritated glare.

Before lying on the bed, Ichigo went to stand by his wife. He looked down and stared at her small body and a frown formed on his face. He hated seeing her like that. He missed her beautiful violet eyes, her smile…her presence. Without caring about the others in the room, he brought his face down to hers and kissed her softly on the lips._ 'I love you.' _He whispered. He then moved down to her round belly and put his hand on it before giving it a kiss and putting his ear against it. He could hear the baby's noises and he pictured him/her cuddling safely in his mother's belly. _'I'll be back soon'_ He whispered to the belly and went to lay on the bed as instructed.

Urahara set up some wires from a monitor that connected Ichigo to Rukia. He then handed Ichigo a headband and instructed him to put it on.

"Now once you securely put on the headband say, _'Take this, the power of righteousness, righteous armor, The Justice Headband!" _Urahara said happily. Ichigo turned to look at the blonde and gave him a well deserved death glare. Urahara sweat dropped and said he was just kidding.

"So Kurosaki-kun, are you ready to go into your wife's inner world?" Urahara asked and Ichigo nodded.

"Ok. Good Luck!" Urahara said and typed away on his computer. Soon after, Ichigo closed his eyes and everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>**Rukia's inner world**<strong>

Ichigo tried to open his eyes but was finding it difficult. All he knew was that he was freezing. He raised his hand to his eyes and opened them slowly. He appeared to be in some sort of forest with enormous pine trees. He could also see snow covered mountains. The blizzard-like conditions were rather hard to be in. He looked around and went to stand behind a tree.

Ichigo thought of how much Zangetsu hated the rain and he imagined how pissed off he'd be if instead of pouring rain he had to deal with blizzards. Ichigo wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so he closed his eyes and focused on Rukia's reiatsu. When he felt it he stormed the weather and shunpoed against the heavy winds and snow.

He finally felt like he was getting closer to her. Although it felt like hours he was certain it had only been fifteen minutes at the most that he had been following her reiatsu. He was high in the mountains by now. The tall trees blocked most of the snow and light in the area, making the place look dark and eerie but still freezing. He then noticed a small cave. The entrance appeared to be glowing and he could feel Rukia's reiatsu emanating from it.

Ichigo walked closer and found Rukia sitting against the stony wall on the icy ground holding her belly. The same glimmering barrier surrounding her made it impossible for Ichigo to reach her.

"Rukia!" He yelled. He could tell she was struggling and concentrating her energy on something.

"Rukia!" He yelled a few more times. Rukia started to slowly open one of her eyes to look at him when he noticed what she had been fighting all along. Her eyes were flickering from their usual deep violet to a hollow-like yellow on black.

"Dammit!" Ichigo yelled. He had no idea how to reach out to Rukia and didn't want to use force and accidentally hurt her.

"Rukia, let me get closer!" Ichigo yelled.

"N-n-no" Rukia stammered. "This…this thing…will take over me…" She said with clenched teeth.

"I can help but you have to trust me!" Ichigo said with desperation.

"I'm telling you it will take over me!" She yelled stubbornly and her reiatsu peaked.

Ichigo's patience was gone as he yelled in anger. "You're so hardheaded! Put this stupid barrier down Rukia! Do you think I haven't been through similar things? Let me remind you that I have to live with a hollow inside of me for the rest of my life!"

After letting those words sink in, Rukia finally opened her eyes fully to see Ichigo. She could see how desperate and scared he was for her safety. She decided to trust him and put down her guard.

"Ahhh!" She yelled in pain as she held her head and closed her eyes again.

Ichigo quickly ran to her, took out the small pill that Urahara had given him and helped her swallow it. As soon as the pill made its way down her throat, the hollow manifested itself.

"What do we have here?" The creepy creature said as it stared at Ichigo with its red eyes. "You smell better than that one!" It said pointing to Rukia.

Ichigo gently let go of Rukia and lured the hollow out of the cave. Once he felt he was as far away as possible so that the hollow wouldn't try to go back in Rukia he slashed it with his zanpakuto. The hollow disintegrated in front of him.

"Damn…we went through all this trouble for such a small fry?" Ichigo said victorious. He started heading back to get Rukia when he suddenly started feeling dizzy. He was having trouble breathing and grabbed his chest as he panted quickly.

"Ghaaaa!" Ichigo yelled in pain.

"_What the hell is going on King! Did you screw up again?"_ Ichigo could hear Hichigo saying in his head.

"_I'm happy I picked you instead! You're reiatsu sure is better!"_ Ichigo heard the other hollow say.

"G-g-get out! ! !" Ichigo yelled as he grabbed his head and clutched on the ground. His head felt like it was going to explode from the pain.

* * *

><p><strong>**Ichigo's inner world**<strong>

"Who the hell are you?" Hichigo said as he saw the dumb looking hollow. "You sure are an ugly bastard!" He continued and cackled.

"I'd ask you the same thing but nothing matters except making this tasty body mine!" The creepy hollow replied.

"What did you just say? There's only one runner up in taking over the King and that's me you ridiculous piece of crap!" Hichigo answered and then started swinging his zanpakuto in his finger. He began taunting the big hollow. He hadn't had a fight in a while and he was going to make sure he enjoyed himself.

The hollow tried clawing Hichigo several times but Hichigo easily dodged him as he cackled away with happiness. "Too slow you moron!" He teased.

Hichigo quickly got bored of the same cat and mouse games and decided to just kill the hollow in one blow. He was too weak and the fight wasn't fun at all.

"GGHHAAAAAA!" The hollow yelled as he disintegrated unable to deposit himself on anyone.

Hichigo stared as the hollow died wondering what in the world had caused it to go in Ichigo's inner world. Hichigo simply shrugged it off and walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>**Back in Rukia's inner world**<strong>

"Ichigo!" Ichigo could hear Rukia calling him repeatedly as he finally opened his eyes.

"Rukia…" He said groggily.

"What happened? Are you ok?" She asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Ichigo said and sat up.

"I'm so sorry…"Rukia said embarrassed of her actions. She felt guilty because they had gone through all this because of her mistake.

"It's ok…Next time I'll remember to check and make sure we have plenty of your favorite snacks before I leave to work." He said playfully. He then brought her to his arms with joy. Even if he wanted to he couldn't stay mad at her if he tried.

As they continued to embrace Ichigo noticed the wind had calmed down and the snow was still falling but instead it was slow and graceful. He also noticed he was no longer shivering from the cold. _'This is beautiful…'_ He thought as he rubbed his wife's back. He then remembered it was time to go back but before he could say anything everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kurosaki Clinic**<strong>

Rukia fluttered her eyes open and Byakuya quickly darted to her side. Isshin wanted to follow but decided to give them some space.

"Nii-sama…I'm so sorry" She said softly as she looked down to her hands.

"Rukia, don't worry about minute things." He said in a serious tone but his eyes were soft and full of concern. "What's important is that you and the baby are fine."

Ichigo started squirming next. His father also darted towards him and stared closely. When Ichigo finally opened his eyes he quickly sprung up looking for Rukia. Unfortunately, Isshin was too close and their heads collided.

"What the heck old man?" Ichigo grumbled.

"It's your fault for being careless!" Isshin said rubbing his head.

Everyone sweat dropped and Byakuya rolled his eyes. The two Kurosaki men always managed to behave in such silly manners even without trying.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :).<p>

Thanks for the awesome reviews and adding the story to your faves/alerts =D


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

* * *

><p><strong>**Four months later**<strong>

After the incident with the hollow the rest of Rukia's pregnancy went by smoothly. Byakuya made sure to have someone from the mansion in charge of going to the world of the living at all times should Rukia run out of snacks, and Rukia and Ichigo's relationship grew stronger. As usual, every time they went through something harsh they always became closer to one another in the end.

Rukia wobbled her way through the 13th division hallways until she finally got to the taichou's office. She opened the door and made her way to her husband's desk.

Ichigo looked up and watched as his wife made her way around the familiar office.

"What are you doing here? You should be at home _resting_." He said trying to hide his irritation.

"It was really boring." She said with a frown, "Besides, every time I want to go somewhere nii-sama makes me take that embarrassing carriage anyway."

"That's because a pregnant woman late in her pregnancy shouldn't be walking around alone." Ichigo said grumpily as he continued to work on his paperwork.

Rukia went to plop herself on the couch and stared at the working Ichigo. Ichigo looked up to see her with his scowl still on his face. He couldn't understand her stubbornness. What was so interesting about watching him work anyway?

A few minutes later he started feeling uncomfortable at her prying eyes. He noticed it was time for lunch and sighed in relief.

"Wanna go get something to eat?" He asked and she nodded happily as she got up hastily. Unfortunately, her movements must must have been too quick since she suddenly grabbed her belly and cried out in pain.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked with panic in his voice and ran to her.

"I-I don't know…" Rukia said nervously as she felt more pain. She the felt something warm running down her leg and blushed furiously.

She looked down and then up to see him with a flustered look. He was about to ask her what was wrong again when he realized what was wrong: her water broke.

"W-w-what are you doing you fool!" Rukia yelled as she was swept from her feet and held securely in Ichigo's arms.

"What do you think? I'm shunpoing to the fourth division!" Ichigo said matter-of-factly and left the office.

Rukia was too embarrassed and in pain to say anything and simply let him take her away.

* * *

><p><strong>**Fourth Division**<strong>

When Ichigo got there the nurses had Ichigo lay Rukia in one of the beds and asked him to leave the room. He nervously paced outside the hallway. He couldn't believe his baby was finally coming.

"Kurosaki fukutaichou" Ichigo turned to look at the captain with the long braided hair.

"Unohana-san!" Ichigo said loudly.

"Don't worry, your wife is in good hands. Would you like to sit in the waiting area? We have refreshments and a wide variety of snacks." Unohana said happily.

"No thank you. I'd like to wait here." Ichigo said stubbornly. He wanted to be as close to his wife as possible.

"The waiting area is rather inviting I recommend that you wait there, Kurosaki fukutaichou." Unohana said again but this time with a creepy smile.

"Y-y-yes, thank you." That's all Ichigo needed to see to obey.

After almost an hour of waiting impatiently Ichigo remembered he hadn't told anyone about the news. He sent a message to Byakuya and Renji as well as a hell butterfly to his father.

* * *

><p><strong>Fifteen minutes later…<strong>

"You moron! Why didn't you let us know sooner!" Renji yelled disgruntled as him and Byakuya made their way to Ichigo.

"Sorry, it's not like I'm experienced in these sort of situations!" Ichigo said with a scowl.

Byakuya took a seat elegantly on the couch opposite of Ichigo. Renji went to help himself to plenty of snacks and refreshments before sitting down as well.

"I have already informed the servants at the mansion. They will make sure everything is perfect for the baby's arrival." Byakuya said to Ichigo to try to ease his nerves and continued to sit quietly.

"Thank you." Ichigo said. He was happy that him and Byakuya seemed to get along better since the hollow incident as well.

The three men sat there for a while longer until they felt a captain-level reiatsu of a very excited shinigami approaching.

"Iiiichigoooo!" Isshin said as he burst in the waiting area.

"Dammit old man! This is not a place to be shouting." Ichigo said embarrassed and sunk deeper in his seat. Byakuya nodded in agreement.

"Where's my Rukia-chan and grandbaby? !" Isshin said still loudly but no longer shouting.

"Rukia's still in the delivery room." Ichigo said.

"This is so exciting my boy! I'm so proud of you, you're going to be a father today!" Isshin said and finally sat next to Ichigo.

When Isshin had finally calmed down the room became quiet only for a minute since shortly after a group from the relief team was seen bringing someone to a room. Ichigo looked up but he didn't get a chance to see who it was, he only caught a glimpse of what appeared to be straight white long hair.

A few minutes later Kyoraku made his way to the waiting area and sat next to Byakuya.

"Yare yare…" He said shaking his head.

"Why are you here Kyoraku taichou?" Renji took a break from stuffing his mouth to satisfy his curiosity instead.

"Ukitake and I walked in his office and as he was walking to his desk he slipped. Someone spilled something on the floor and didn't clean it up." The captain said.

Ichigo turned bright red and quickly hid his guilty face from the group. He was sure _what_ that liquid was.

* * *

><p>"Kurosaki fukutaichou?" A nurse called. Ichigo, Byakuya, Isshin, and Renji sprung up from their seats.<p>

"Unohana taichou wanted me to inform you that your baby has been born. You make come in to your wife's room now." The nurse said happily.

Ichigo took a step back and felt like he was about to faint. His father put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting smile.

Everyone walked quietly to the room excited, nervous, but most of all happy and relieved. Ichigo was the first to walk in the room. Rukia was sitting up on the bed with their little bundle wrapped in a white blanket. Ichigo's eyes became watery as he noticed the messy mop of orange hair on the little one.

"Go on son." Isshin said with a couple fresh tears.

Ichigo walked to Rukia who gave him a tired smile and then looked down to look at her baby. When Ichigo finally made it to the bed he gave Rukia a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you so much." He whispered softly only for her to hear. He then looked tenderly at his baby.

"Do you want to hold him?" Rukia asked quietly with a smile on her face.

"Him?" Ichigo asked and Rukia nodded.

"Yes. We have a little Ichigo." Rukia said as Ichigo took the newborn from her arms and into his own.

Ichigo couldn't possibly explain what he was feeling at the moment. He never knew there was more room for so much love in his heart. He could no longer fight his tears of joy as they fell freely down his cheeks.

"Hey little one." He said softly as the baby tried to focus his eyes on his father. Ichigo moved his hand up to his baby's messy orange hair and touched it gently.

After a few minutes of admiring his baby Ichigo walked towards Isshin and Byakuya. He could tell they couldn't wait any longer.

"He's beautiful son." Isshin said softly.

"He's perfect, congratulations Ichigo." Byakuya said trying to fight his tears from falling as well.

Renji poked his head to see the little one and nodded in agreement before stepping back. He never knew babies made him this nervous.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

My brain was being fried due to my nemesis (homework!) so I decided to give it a break and write another chapter. It's short but hopefully sweet :). It's funny how I can easily write page after page of my stories and yet I can't write a single one of homework :(.

As always thanks for the reviews and adding this story to your faves/alerts.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

****Kuchiki Mansion****

The baby was now one week old and the Women's Shinigami Association had organized a trip to the mansion on said day. Not wanting to be outdone, the Men's Shinigami Association also wanted to make a trip to greet the new baby. Unfortunately, the WSA immediately nixed the idea saying that they had already used up the entire budget.

Byakuya was sitting quietly unwinding after a long day of work when he heard the servants welcome the lively group. He noticed them heading to Rukia and Ichigo's side of the mansion with a ridiculous amount of gifts.

"Bya-kun!" Yachiru waved and greeted the annoyed captain.

"Good evening" Byakuya said trying to keep a calm demeanor. He then opted to go and hide himself in the library. Practicing his calligraphy might calm his now tense nerves.

The group finally made it to the large room. As they walked in they piled gift after gift on Ichigo's arms until he was unable to hold anymore bags and boxes. Thankfully, the servants noticed and rushed to his aid.

Matsumoto, Isane, Kiyone, Momo, Soi Fon, Nemu, Yachiru, and even Unohana gathered around Rukia and the baby.

"Oh Kuchiki he's adorable!" Matsumoto said as she gently touched the baby's soft orange hair. "I'm so happy you and Kurosaki didn't waste any time!" She said with a wink and turned to look at Ichigo, embarrassing both the new parents.

"He is indeed a delightful creation." Nemu said as she examined the baby, sounding like she was referring to an experiment rather than a baby.

"Good job making the baby Ichi. Now I'll have someone to play with when I come over!" Yachiru chimed in.

"What did you name him?" Unohana asked.

"Ichiro, Kurosaki Ichiro." Rukia said happily.

"He's cute. Let's hope he doesn't develop his father's attitude." Soi Fon said and glared at said shinigami.

Knowing where this gathering of women was headed Ichigo decided to make himself scarce and go hide in the Kuchiki library along with his favorite Shakespeare book.

"But even with that 'attitude' as you call it I can see Ichigo as a completely devoted father." Matsumoto said.

"Yeah. When I was still pregnant he would read to the baby every night, and since we've been back from the infirmary he tries to help with him after he comes back from the squad." Rukia said proudly of her husband as a cute memory came to mind…

* * *

><p><strong>**flashback**<strong>

Rukia was propped on an absurd amount of pillows as Ichigo read one of his favorite books to the baby. It had been a long day of work and even though she could tell he was tired he wanted to continue with their little routine. Suddenly Rukia pulled the book from his hand and threw it to the side.

"Hey" He grumbled.

She pulled him closer to her silencing him with a slow kiss. She then broke the kiss and put her forehead against his.

"Ichigo...thank you for everything." She said sincerely and gave him a smile.

"You don't need to thank me for anything you silly girl" He said and put one arm around her as he gently rubbed her belly.

"Thank you for coming into my life and not giving up on me…" he said as his expressive brown eyes looked up to meet her love-filled violet ones.

"Even in the few times I tried to I wasn't able to get rid of you." She said with a smile and brought him closer for another long kiss. She was happy her stubbornness didn't drive him away either and that life always brought them back together. She loved him so much and she would forever be grateful to have him in her life.

****end of flashback****

* * *

><p>"Mmh?" Rukia asked coming back from her thoughts.<p>

"I said you got yourself a good one Kuchiki." Matsumoto repeated.

"He's a great fukutaichou as well. We're very happy for both of you." Kiyone said with a tender smile.

"Thank you Kiyone." Rukia said.

Once the group of shinigami women got comfortable around the baby they started taking turns holding him and dragged Rukia to the pile of gifts so she could open them. A few of the women also took the liberty of asking the servants to bring sweets, drinks, and candy for Yachiru.

****Outside the mansion** **

"A-a-are you sure we should be doing this?" Kira asked the president of the association.

"We're men! If we want to congratulate Kurosaki we don't need permission from a group of measly women!" Iba said puffing his chest, and so the group from the Shinigami Men's Association proceeded to infiltrate the Kuchiki mansion. After a few minutes of wondering around lost thought they realized the mansion was too big and instead decided to follow Ichigo's reiatsu.

**Meanwhile…**

Ichigo opened the door to the library and was disappointed to see his brother in law was already there. He cursed his luck and was about to leave when the noble spoke.

"You may stay if you wish. I myself dislike being around the women's association when they are overly excited"

Ichigo nodded in response and took a seat. He never thought he'd feel this way but he'd rather be in the same room with Byakuya than to be with the before mentioned group of women.

A few minutes passed and both men were rather surprised at how comfortable they were given their proximity. Ichigo relaxed as he submerged himself in his book while Byakuya enjoyed his calligraphy time.

Byakuya thought it was rather pleasant for him and Ichigo to be 'bonding' over such refined activities. He decided to call the servants to get them both some tea when he suddenly felt a strong wave of reiatsu coming their way.

The sliding doors slammed open…

"Kurosaki! Just the man we were looking for!" Iba yelled.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo said surprised as his book fell from his hands.

"What else? We came to congratulate you on being a father!" Hisagi said.

"Even though the women's association took up all the budget we brought your baby expensive gifts curtsey of my wealth!" Omaeda said proudly.

"I'm not part of their pansy association but I came to get a feel of the kid's reiatsu." Kenpachi said with a smirk as Ichigo sweat dropped.

"So where is the little one?" Ukitake said taking off the ill-fitting black glasses that the rest of the group was wearing.

"He's with Rukia…and the rest of the meddling shinigami." Ichigo said as his trademark scowl formed on his forehead.

"Ichigo, it would be wise for you to escort the group and keep Rukia and the baby company." Byakuya said looking up from his comfortable spot.

Ichigo bit his lip to refrain from saying anything to the bossy noble and instead walked the group of men to meet his son.

* * *

><p>When the group of men got there they immediately got sized up by the women.<p>

"What do you think you're doing here?" Nanao said pushing up her glasses.

"We came to bring our manly support to Kurosaki!" Iba said crossing his arms.

"Where is he? !" Kenpachi said impatient. He looked around until he spotted the little bundle being held by his mother. The rest of the men followed and Ichigo trailed along close to Kenpachi just in case he got any crazy ideas.

When they got to the baby all their eyes popped out of their sockets at the sight. The women had dressed Ichiro in a fleece bunny outfit that had a hood with bunny ears.

"Wh-wh-what did you do to my son?" Ichigo asked in disbelief.

"What do you mean? We dressed Chibigo in a warm and cute outfit!" Rukia said with pride in her shining eyes. The rest of the women -now gathered around her- nodded in agreement.

"Chibigo?" Ichigo repeated the nickname as he almost passed out but the rest of the men quickly came to his defense.

"Men shouldn't be called _cute_" Iba stated.

"We could make an exception" Ukitake said with a wide smile as Iba wondered why he even belonged to the club.

"Who bought that hideous thing anyway?" Hisagi said crinkling his nose.

"As a matter of fact I did" Matsumoto said with a pout.

After an evening of bickering between the women and men's associations things had come to a peaceful state once again at the Kuchiki mansion. The baby -still in his bunny outfit- was sound asleep in between Rukia and Ichigo.

"Today was an interesting day." Rukia said as she held the baby's tiny hand.

"Yea…I'm definitely not looking forward for round two of this when we go to the world of the living in a few weeks." Ichigo said dreading the idea.

"Well you can't blame everyone for getting excited and wanting to see our little Chibigo" Rukia said with a smile on her face.

"We are _not_ giving the baby that nickname" Ichigo said angrily.

It didn't take long before Ichigo yelped trying to suppress the pain he was feeling from the kick to the shin he had just received thanks to his ever-loving wife.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

So I decided to name the baby Ichiro which means first son. Also, I thought "Chibigo" would be a good nickname for him since it's cute and it would get on Ichigo's nerves haha.

Thanks for reading and hope you guys liked the chapter. Also, thanks for adding the story to your faves/alerts and for the awesome reviews, they always inspire me to keep on writing =D.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

It was a nice spring morning in Soul Society. The day started bright and early in the Kuchiki Mansion. Sitting on a large cushion sat a very proud uncle cradling a sleepy one month old Ichiro as his parents scrambled to get things ready for their small family trip to the world of the living.

"Oi Rukia! Are you ready?" An impatient Ichigo asked as he walked in their large bedroom.

"That should be the last bag. You can take them by the senkaimon while I go and get Ichiro." Rukia said and walked away.

Rukia made her way to her brother's bedroom. He liked sitting by the wooden ledge with the baby. One of the times Byakuya was spending time with Ichiro he had found out that whenever he was fuzzy he always seemed to calm down in his room. He attributed this to the calming noises of the river and the nice view of the garden.

"Nii-sama" Rukia called as she walked to her brother. "We're ready"

"Very well" The noble said and looked one last time at the baby in his arms. He then handed him to Rukia.

"Enjoy your time at the world of the living" He said.

"Thank you nii-sama, we'll see you in a few days." Rukia gave her brother a smile and started heading out the door.

"Rukia" He called with what appeared to be apprehension in his tone, "I hope Ichiro enjoys his time at the world of the living as well." He said trying to hide his worry.

"Yes, thank you." She said and headed towards the senkaimon.

* * *

><p><strong>**World of the living**<strong>

The senkaimon opened across from the Kurosaki clinic. Ichigo walked through carrying several bags followed by Rukia with Ichiro in her arms. Ichigo told his family he would get there in the morning but he didn't tell them the time because he didn't want them to cause a scene on the street.

"We just got here and you're already making that ridiculous face?" Rukia said to her grumpy husband. Ichigo mumbled something incoherent and Rukia decided it would be better to let him be.

Ichigo was the first to walk in the house and not surprisingly everyone was already waiting.

"Oohhh the baby!" Yuzu said as she flew past Ichigo and ran to the baby followed by Karin.

"Make room for daddy girls!" Isshin said and dashed to the baby but was clotheslined by Ichigo.

"You already saw him plenty of times at Soul Society old man! Let the girls spend some time with him first." Ichigo said and headed to take the bags to his old room.

After Ichigo came down they all sat at the living room admiring the newest member of the Kurosaki family.

"He's so cute Rukia-chan! Does he have your same eye color?" Karin said noticing the curious violet eyes of the baby. Rukia nodded in agreement.

"And onii-chan's orange hair!" Yuzu said with a giggle.

"Poor Ichiro, sorry for your father's wacky genes!" Karin said as a large vain popped on Ichigo's forehead.

"I wish we would have been able to see him sooner, he's adorable." Yuzu said as she tenderly held the baby.

"Don't worry about it, we know you guys are busy with school and it's not that simple to just leave and go to another world, that's why we decided to take a trip out here as soon as we could so you could see Chibigo" Rukia said with a smirk turning to glace at her now scowling husband.

"I told you to not call him that!" Ichigo said with annoyance in his tone.

"Chibigo?" Karin asked, taking the information in.

"Yes that's Ichiro's nickname." Rukia said with a wide smile.

"Awww it's so cute!" Yuzu said happily as she repeated the name to the baby.

"Chibigo…I like it, I can feel it growing on me already!" Karin said snickering as she turned to look at her annoyed brother. She loved messing with him.

"So at what time is everyone coming to meet Chibigo?" Isshin asked joining in on the fun.

"I told them to come in the afternoon. I wanted you guys to be able to spend some time with the baby first." Ichigo said.

"Sounds good, are you guys hungry?" Yuzu asked.

"We actually left in a bit of a rush this morning so we didn't get a chance to eat." Ichigo admitted.

Yuzu handed the baby to Karin and got up to head to the kitchen.

"I'll help Yuzu, I haven't cooked in a while." Rukia said with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>**Later that afternoon**<strong>

Ishida and Orihime arrived first. Ishida was loaded with presents which he quickly dumped on Ichigo.

"Oh my gosh he is sooo cute!" Orihime said as she took a peek at the now sleeping baby in Rukia's arms. "He looks just like Ichigo!"

"He's an exact copy except for his cute violet eyes." Ichigo said proudly sounding a little cheesy but he didn't care. He loved his wife's eyes and was happy the baby had taken after her.

"Looks like you do some things well, Ichigo." Ishida said with a smirk.

Ichigo was about to retort when the doorbell rang. Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro and Tatsuki were at the door.

"Yo" Ichigo said welcoming his group of friends. Everyone congratulated him and headed to the living room.

"So how's everything in Soul Society?" Tatsuki asked.

"Everything's good. My job is more exciting than my job as a teacher was except for the paperwork, the paperwork is worse than what I had to deal with when I was a teacher. Not to mention that now that the baby's here time just seems to fly." Ichigo said and everyone noticed the fulfilled look on his face. He was truly happy.

"I'm performing tonight at a new bar if you guys want to come." Chad said.

"It'll be fun, we're all going!" Keigo said excited.

"I'm not sure we can because of Ichiro." Ichigo said.

"We'll babysit him!" Yuzu offered.

"I'm not sure…it's his first night in the world of the living…." Ichigo said apprehensive.

Rukia noticed the hurt look on his sister's eyes.

"We'll go Chad." Rukia said giving Ichigo a look letting him know that was the end of it.

"Waahh" Ichiro started crying and squirming in Rukia's arms when he woke up.

"He's probably a little nervous at everyone in the room." Rukia said when suddenly Chad out of all people got an idea. He had brought his acoustic guitar with him and decided to play some songs to soothe little Ichiro.

After a few songs, Ichiro was happily looking around at all the people. When he was comfortable enough Rukia let the rest of the girls hold him.

"Thanks Chad." Ichigo said with a big smile.

"No problem." His loyal friend said.

* * *

><p><strong>**Later that night**<strong>

Before leaving, Ichigo and Rukia gave the girls instructions on caring for Ichiro. They also told them not to take him out because he didn't have a gigai. After Rukia was finally able to pry Ichigo from Ichiro, the parents headed to the bar where Chad was playing.

"Do you miss this?" Rukia asked as they walked in the familiar streets. She was wearing a black dress with glittery violet edges and black flats.

"It feels good coming back. Karakura will always feel like home but this place wouldn't mean anything if you weren't here…" Ichigo said giving Rukia a gentle look. He was wearing blue jeans, a black button shirt and black shoes.

"You're such a fool. Who would have thought you'd be so cheesy?" Rukia said with a smile.

"Well you married this fool, so what does that make you?" Ichigo said with a smirk. Rukia was about to smack him but he dodged her small hand.

They continued walking happily to the bar. It had been a very long time since they were in the world of the living together and even a longer time since they had gone out on a date.

* * *

><p><strong>**The Bar**<strong>

The bar's ambiance was laid back. It was dim and there were candles on all the round tables. Ichigo spotted the large table where his friends were sitting. He held Rukia's small hand in his and led them to it.

Everyone was enjoying their time together and catching up. The waitress hadn't approached the table for a while now and Ichigo was about to get up to go get them some drinks when Rukia stopped him.

"I have to use the washroom so I'll just get the drinks on my way back." She said getting up.

"I'll go with you." Orihime said.

After they were done in the washroom the girls headed to the bar area. After a few minutes the bartender placed two drinks in front of them. Rukia was about to pay when a random guy's arm reached in front of her and paid for her. Thinking it was Ichigo she turned around and was about to make a joke when she noticed who it was. The man was a little taller than her, had brown hair and was wearing dark glasses. There was also a blond tall man with a long face trying to put the moves on Orihime as well.

"Hey sweetie, wanna join us in our booth?" The brown haired guy asked Rukia putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Get your filthy hand—"She didn't get to finish.

"You better leave right now if you know what's good for you." Ichigo said with a very deep scowl as he removed the man's hand from Rukia's shoulder. Because of his protectiveness he had been keeping a watchful eye on his wife and friend from the table.

"So I take it you're the jealous boyfriend?" The cocky guy asked.

"More like husband" Ichigo said as his fist finally met the man's face.

"Ichigo!" Rukia said.

"He asked for it" Ichigo said and grabbed her hand to lead her back to the table.

"Don't worry. I'm a more diplomatic man than my brute friend. If you don't want me to show you what _I_ can do I would say this is the time to leave." Ishida said to the scared blonde man. He picked up his friend and quickly left.

* * *

><p>"Ichigo you didn't have to go straight to violence!" Ishida said.<p>

"I wasn't going to but his attitude pissed me off." Ichigo said and took a drink of his beer.

"Maybe it's the influence of Soul Society on you." Rukia said with a frown.

"No he's been like that for a while now." Tatsuki chimed in.

Everyone continued enjoying the night and as usual making fun of Ichigo.

After some upbeat songs Chad's band started playing a few slow ones. Ichigo put his arm around Rukia and she leaned her head on his chest. She inhaled his scent; she loved the way he smelled. She looked up to meet his chocolate brown eyes and pulled his head closer, her lips tenderly meeting his.

"mh mh" Keigo cleared his throat.

"Leave them alone." Mizuiro said rolling his eyes at his friend wondering if he would ever give up.

"You know, I've never told you this before but you're kind of sexy when you get jealous." Rukia said from her comfortable spot in her husband's arms.

"I wasn't jealous I just don't like idiots trying get what's mine." Ichigo said with a scowl.

"Is that right?" Rukia asked with a smile. "I guess I'll allow that since being yours isn't that bad"

"Can they get any cheesier?" Ishida mumbled.

"Be nice Uryuu." Orihime said giving the Quincy a small peck.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Sorry for not updating sooner. I've been busy with school and I had been a little under the weather. I stumbled upon a story the other day and I think they might have stolen a few of my ideas and changed them slightly. It really bothered me because it caught me off guard and it was really discouraging, but I decided to just let it go because I really enjoy writing…Anyway, sorry for the rant. Hope you guys liked the chapter.

Thank you for adding this story to your faves/alerts and for the lovely reviews :).


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

**One year later…**

Byakuya, Ichigo, Rukia and Ichiro ate dinner as a family like they had been for the past year. Ichiro was neatly seated in his baby chair. After dinner Rukia and Ichigo glanced at each other nervously before starting off their dreaded conversation with Byakuya.

"Nii-sama there's something we'd like to talk to you about." She said. Her brother turned to her and gave her his undivided attention. "Ichigo and I were thinking that it might be a good idea for us to move out into a home of our own."

"I see." The noble said as he processed the information. Byakuya knew he was going to miss Ichiro and his sister, but he also knew moving into a place of their own was something the married couple needed and wanted. He decided to not question them further about the matter.

"Very well, if that is what you wish then I would like to offer my help and put you in touch with the Kuchiki realtor." He said.

"Will he have anything other than mansions to offer? It's not like we're rolling in piles of money." Ichigo asked nonchalant.

"Don't worry about the financial expenses that come with purchasing a home. You should also remember that as part of the Kuchiki family, Rukia will always be taken care of and will never have to worry about finances even if she _is_ married to you." Byakuya said glaring at Ichigo.

"Do you think I can't take care of my family? Wait before you answer that are you calling me _cheap_? !" Ichigo said annoyed, his scowl making its appearance.

"I am simply stating the facts. Money should not be seen as an issue when looking for a house that is up to par with the needs of your family. " Byakuya said coolly.

"Why you..!" Ichigo said loudly as a few veins popped on his head.

"You should not act like that in front of Ichiro." Byakuya continued only fueling Ichigo's frustration. Ichiro on the other hand was busy happily making a mess with his food.

"Thank you for your help nii-sama, we know you mean well." Rukia said with a smile as she elbowed her husband. The noble nodded and decided to make his leave. After cleaning up Ichiro, Rukia and Ichigo left to their side of the mansion as well.

"Your brother can be such as pest!" Ichigo said still fuming.

"He's just worried and only wants the best for us." Rukia said as she followed a crawling Ichiro around the room.

Ichigo rolled his eyes but dropped the subject. Instead, he attentively looked at Rukia playing with little Ichiro. His son and wife looked so happy and it brought a warm feeling in his chest. He headed over to her and gave her a kiss on top of her head and joined her as she played with their son. He loved his family so much and would also put up with her pesky brother in law if it meant that Rukia would be happy.

* * *

><p>After looking at many houses they settled with one that was a ten minute walk from the Kuchiki mansion. It wasn't a mansion (not that they wanted one) but it was big enough for the family to grow. There was also a large grassy garden for Ichiro to play in the back with lots of trees and even a small pond.<p>

The house was very nice. It was white one the outside (like almost every building in the Seireitei) and the main doors were large wooden ones. There was a small sitting room to the left when you first walked in and to the right was the large living room. The sliding doors in the living room gave a nice view of the garden. The following room was the dining room and the next was the kitchen. There was also a long hallway in between the sitting room and the living room that took you to the bedrooms. There were five bedrooms total and 3 bathrooms.

"Dinner's ready!" Rukia called as she finished setting the table.

"Alright we'll be right there!" Ichigo yelled from one of the rooms. Ichigo signaled for Renji to follow and the men headed to the dining room.

"Thanks for helping us move Renji" Rukia said as the two men took their place at the table.

"No problem." He said with a nervous smile as he looked at the food in front of him.

"What's with the face Renji?" Ichigo said with a knowing smirk.

"Are you two making fun of my food? I'll have you know that I have been trained by the chefs at the mansion." Rukia said proudly putting her hands on her hips.

"If you wouldn't have learned how to cook I would have taken Byakuya up on the offer of getting a chef of our own!" Ichigo teased but soon the back of his head was greeted with a smack.

"Chibigo, take a hint from your dad and make sure not to get such an aggressive wife." Renji said with a goofy grin as he talked the baby.

"Fool! I'm not aggressive I simply defend myself." Rukia said and smacked him playfully.

"And stop it with the Chibigo name!" Ichigo said before digging into his food.

After looking at the food skeptically one last time Renji finally took a spoonful of it in his mouth.

"I can't believe it...this is great!" He said with a smile.

"I told you." She responded.

"So are you excited to go back to work tomorrow Kurosaki fukutaichou." Renji said with a smirk.

"Yea but I'm going to miss Chibigo." She said honestly.

"You worry too much! Isn't he going to that crazy expensive daycare anyway?" Renji asked and took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, _onii-san_ is paying." Ichigo said with a toothy grin.

"Who would have thought a kid could have my taichou wrapped around his little finger." Renji said shaking his head.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night…<strong>

"Aaahhh it feels nice having our own house!" Ichigo said with a content voice as he stretched on the futon.

"I think I'm going to miss nii-sama." Rukia said with a frown. Although he tried not to show it, she knew Byakuya had been sad to see them go.

"Not me! I not only had to deal with him at home but also at work at the captain's meetings. He can be such an instigator." Ichigo said rubbing his temples.

"You're lying! Nii-sama would not behave in such a way." Rukia said with emotion but then Ichigo smiled wide as he told her about this week's meeting…

****Flashback****

"You may begin with your weekly reports!" Yamamoto said to the captains.

Soi Fon was the first to give her report of the second division followed by Unohana who gave the one for the fourth. Then came Ichigo's turn…

"…and so I think that the 5th division is coming along well and is nicely balanced in all areas." Ichigo said seriously. He had been the taichou of the fifth division for almost a year now and liked to be as professional as possible in the meetings.

"There's a few pansies in your division that need to be more _balanced_. I keep telling you to train with us but you don't listen." Kenpachi said looking at Ichigo from the corner of his eye.

"One should not be over-confident. There is always room for improvement." Byakuya elegantly chimed in.

Ichigo had a large vain popping on his head at the unsolicited comments and advice and was about to retort when…

"You're one to talk." Kenpachi said to Byakuya.

"I am not over confident. I simply know the extent of my abilities, the truth cannot be denied." Byakuya said glaring at Kenpachi.

"Oh yeah, let's see these capabilities!" Kenpachi said with a smirk.

"Enough! Next captain your report!" Yamamoto said breaking up the interruption as all the captains shook their heads.

****End of flashback****

"I still don't believe you." Rukia said with a pout as she put Ichiro in his little crib. She then walked over to their futon and cuddled next to her husband.

* * *

><p><strong>The following day…<strong>

Rukia got up bright and early for her first day back as a fukutaichou.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take him?" Ichigo asked Rukia as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sure." She said with a reassuring smile.

Ichigo leaned down and gave her a loving kiss.

"Ok. Good luck on your first day, I'll see you tonight." He said and broke their embrace. He said goodbye to Ichiro before heading out. Rukia followed shortly after.

* * *

><p><strong>**Seireitei daycare** <strong>

Rukia walked in the lavish place. It was definitely the best place in town. The nobles and rich people who took their children there did it not because they worked but so that their children could begin their education early. Rukia looked at the place skeptically as she held Ichiro in her arms. She was really hating her maternal instincts right now. They were telling her to throw everything in the wind and go back home with her little guy.

"Don't worry Kurosaki-sama, Ichiro will be well taken care of. Our staff is very professional and trained to perfection." The worker said.

"Yes thank you." Rukia responded. She then looked at Ichiro's scared violet eyes. He was clinging on to her tightly.

"It's ok Chibigo. Mommy is going to work but she will be back soon to take you home ok." She said and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She then handed him to the daycare worker. She started heading out when he noticed a familiar noble man. _'What the hell!'_ She thought and picked up her pace hoping he wouldn't see her.

"Rukia!" She heard the man call.

'_Dammit'_ She though and unwillingly turned around.

"Kain" She said with emotionless eyes.

"I hadn't seen you here before." He said approaching her.

"This is Ichiro's first day at the daycare." She said.

"That's great! I'm not sure if you received the news but I also have a son. He's been coming here for a few months." Kain said as if he was talking to an old friend.

"Yes, I heard you got married shortly after I did. Now if you excuse me I need to get to work." She said and was about to walk away when he grabbed her wrist.

"Please, I'm deeply sorry about the way I acted back then. Now that we are both happily married I would like nothing more than to be friends again." He said with his best deer eyes and let go of her wrist. "How about I treat you to lunch today?"

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea." She said. Kain had sent them luxurious baby presents when Ichiro was born and Ichigo had been furious. He had also sent flowers and a card apologizing for his behavior months after their wedding. Still, Rukia wasn't too sure about the man and she knew Ichigo would definitely hate for him to be in their lives.

"Please. All I'm asking is for one lunch date." He said with a smile. It was funny how his kind black eyes were so deceiving of his true person.

"Fine. Meet me at my division at noon." She said and shunpoed away.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Do you guys smell some drama coming up now that Kain is back? Hehehe :p. If you guys get a chance let me know what you think about him coming back. Do you guys like it or hate it? Or maybe hate it but like it at the same time? :)

I never thought the story would reach 30 chapters! Lots of changes happened in the time skip. I thought Ichigo would be a good fit for the fifth division since the division's insignia signifies "sacrifice, danger, pure love, humility and sweetness" (bleach wikia).

Thank you for the reviews and adding the story to your faves/alerts.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

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><p><strong>**13<strong>**th**** Division****

When Rukia finally made it to her division she was happily greeted by Ukitake, Kiyone, Sentaro, and the rest of the members of the division. The day started with the usual training, something she had been looking forward to because although she had trained with Ichigo and Renji a few times it wasn't the same. She hated the feeling of them always holding back on her even if they supposedly didn't do it intentionally.

* * *

><p><strong>**5<strong>**th**** Division****

Ichigo was in his office taking care of a few things before heading out to train with his squad when his fukutaichou came in.

"Kurosaki taichou." Momo greeted and walked in as she looked around the office.

"Hey Hinamori-san." Ichigo greeted her and adjusted his white haori.

"I have just been informed that two new members are coming into our squad today. They should have been here by now." Momo said.

"That's odd. I guess I must have not read that in this morning's report. Well I have to get the squad started with training so-" He was cut off.

"Don't worry taichou, I'll go and you can wait for the new members." Momo said and left the office.

Ichigo frowned and plopped on his chair. Training was the best part of the day for him. He started thinking that it would have been nice to go and have lunch with Rukia on her first day back but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to now that he was probably going to have a busy day with the new members. He was brought out of his thoughts when the two members arrived.

"Our apologies Kurosaki taichou!" A small girl with short green hair said and bowed.

"We are very sorry for getting lost!" A girl with purple hair in a pony tail said as she bowed as well.

"Don't worry just make sure to familiarize yourself with the area from now on." Ichigo said awkwardly. He still didn't like formalities or people bowing to him.

"My name is Kujo, Nozomi Kujo" Said the green-haired girl.

"And my name is Okada, Senna Okada" The purple-haired girl said.

Ichigo introduced himself and went to his desk. New recruits meant paperwork. Afterwards they left the office and he showed them around. The girls followed behind their handsome taichou happily. Ichigo headed to the training grounds hoping to be able to train with the squad and the new recruits for a bit. Unfortunately, when he got there everyone was wrapping up.

"Kurosaki taichou!" Momo said and jogged to him.

"Hinamori-san you guys are already done?" Ichigo asked.

"Yea it's almost lunch time" Momo said with a smile. She then noticed the two girls next to Ichigo.

"Oh yea sorry for not introducing you, these are the new members of our division Kujo and Okada" Ichigo said.

They made small chat for a few minutes until Momo suggested they all head for lunch together.

* * *

><p><strong>**13<strong>**th**** Division****

Rukia finished training with the squad feeling accomplished. She had missed doing what came as a second nature to her.

"Kuchiki-san...I mean Kurosaki-san!" Kiyone said with a nervous laugh as she approached Rukia. "Do you have any plans for lunch? The taichou, Sentaro, and I were thinking we could all go eat together."

Rukia was about to answer the third seat when a man answered for her.

"I hate to take her from her caring squad since I know she was missed while she was gone but Rukia had already agreed to go out to lunch with me." Kain said with a gentle smile to Kiyone.

"Oh ok, no problem." Kiyone said as she stared dreamily at Kain. Surprisingly she hadn't found out about what had happened between Kain, Ichigo and Rukia. She then said goodbye and left the two.

"So where do you want to go?" Rukia said trying to not sound annoyed.

"I figured we could go to the bun place you like since it's not too far from here." Kain said.

* * *

><p><strong>**The Hot Bun Captain (restaurant)**<strong>

Kain and Rukia sat at a small round table outside of the restaurant. It was too loud inside since all the divisions were out for lunch.

"So how do you like being married?" Kain started their "friendly" conversation.

"I'm very happy with my husband and Chibi...I mean Ichiro." She said and took a bite of the delicious bun.

"The clan had been pressuring me into getting married for a while so I'm happy to have found the right partner as well." Kain said trying to sound happy.

They continued making small talk about their children among other things. Rukia was happy Kain wasn't being pushy or insinuating things. For once he didn't appear to be plotting anything.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

"I say we go to Hot Bun Captain, they have the best lunch around!" Momo said.

"Ok…" Ichigo said slightly hesitant. He knew that place was always busy at this time and he hated crowded places.

The group of four headed to said restaurant but when they got there Momo spotted Rukia and Kain eating contently together. Toshiro had told her about the drama between the three, and working with Ichigo for the last months had given her glimpses of how undesirable it was to be around his taichou when he was mad or in a bad mood.

"Oh it looks so busy let's just go to another place!" Momo said motioning for the group to follow. Senna and Nozomi looked at each other but then turned to follow the fukutaichou. Unfortunately, Ichigo had already caught a glimpse of _his_ wife with _that_ man. Momo noticed the tightening of his jaw and his knuckles turn white as he angrily turned his hands into fists.

"I'm sorry, I just remembered I have to do something at the office so I'll just see you guys later. Hinamori-san can you please take care of Kujo and Okada." Ichigo said with a forced voice.

"Y-yes taichou." Momo said nervously and continued walking with the two girls.

Ichigo knew if he went to that table right now things would not end well. He knew Kain would end up in a bloody bath and judging by his wife's relaxed expression she would end up mad at him. He took a deep breath and shunpoed away from the place before he did anything he would regret.

Rukia turned around when she sensed what she thought was her husband's reiatsu spike.

"You ok?" Kain asked.

"Yea…I should probably head back to my division though." Rukia said and stood up. Kain walked her back to her division and gave her a quick hug before leaving.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance, Rukia. I won't let you down again and remember that you can count on me whenever." Kain said seriously.

"Thank you Kain." Rukia said staring into his black eyes before leaving.

* * *

><p>It was the end of a very long day for Ichigo. After the lunch incident he had been in a terrible mood so Momo had been happy to leave as soon as she was able to. Ichigo had lingered around his office later than usual because he knew him and Rukia were going to argue once he got home.<p>

Ichigo had been so distracted he had completely forgotten about the two girls doing paperwork in his office.

"Oh sorry! Kujo, Okada, you can leave now. You can continue reviewing the rules tomorrow." Ichigo said with a forced smile.

"Oh…ok. Thank you Kurosaki taichou." Nozomi said and the two girls left the office and closed the door.

"Oh my goodness! He is sooo hot!" Senna said animated.

"I know…too bad he's happily married." Nozomi said in a mocking tone at the happily part.

"You say it like that means anything. It only makes things that much more exciting!" Senna said with a creepy innocent and cheery tone as she bounced and clapped her hands.

"As long as I don't get dragged along into whatever mess you're about to start I could care less." Nozomi said as she typed away on her phone.

"You're such a bore!...but now that I think about it don't act like you didn't sign up to this division just so you could be in the division of the hunkiest taichou around." Senna said.

"I did sign up to be here just because he's the hottest taichou in soul society but I'm not into his weird mood swings." Nozomi said and continued to focus on her phone.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kurosaki Home**<strong>

Rukia was in the living room playing with Ichiro. She had already fed him but she had been waiting to eat with Ichigo until the food went cold. She finally heard the door open.

"Hey, is everything ok?" Rukia said poking her head up to see her husband. He didn't answer but when they locked eyes she saw the scowl and glare.

"What?" She asked having an inkling of suspicion.

"What the hell were you doing with him?" Ichigo said trying to keep calm.

"Eating lunch." Rukia said dully.

"Eating lunch? Don't say it so freaking causally like if he was your friend or something. The man is a pompous jerk! He has proven that over and over!" Ichigo said with a loud voice that caused Ichiro to stare at him with surprised violet eyes.

"He's just trying to be civil. His son goes to the same school as Ichiro and I figured I might as well try to be on good terms with him since we are probably going to be seeing him around more often." Rukia said trying to be rational.

"You're so selfish! You know how I feel about him and yet you always do what _you_ think is right." Ichigo said still by the door.

"Who is the selfish one here? The person trying to smooth things over trying to get along with people or the crazy idiot yelling in his house in front of his son!" Rukia said with a heated glare.

The last part of her sentence was a low blow to him. He felt like a jerk for letting his temper get the best of him in front of Ichiro. Ichigo turned around and left the house. He didn't want Rukia to notice the sad expression on his face and he also wasn't ready to talk yet.

* * *

><p><strong>**6<strong>**th**** Division barracks****

Ichigo headed to Renji's place to hang out for a bit. Renji was surprisingly a deep person and was good to talk to whenever he was feeling down or had small arguments with Rukia. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a room full of men sitting around.

"Kurosaki _taichou_!" Hisagi said teasingly.

"Isn't it a little too late for you to be out _taichou_?" Ikkaku followed.

"Calm down everyone! I'm sure he already asked his wife for permission to come out before hand." Iba said with a smirk.

"Alright cut the crap!" Ichigo said scowling and went to take a sit in the crowded room.

"To what do we owe the honor of your presence?" Renji said as he continued to put his long hair into a pony tail.

"I came to hang out for a bit but I can just come another time..." Ichigo said dully.

"Gloomy bastard! That tone makes me wanna beat you up." Ikkaku said.

"He probably had a fight with his wife. You need to remember who the man is in your relationship Kurosaki!" Iba said.

"That's alright, we'll make sure you have some fun tonight." Hisagi said grinning.

"Alright, I'm ready. Let's get this party started!" Renji said happily but everyone sweatdropped and furrowed their eyebrows at his corny line.

The group headed out of the cramped room ready for some nighttime fun...

* * *

><p>Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update. So instead of introducing other characters into the story I thought I would use Senna and Nozomi. I am not a fan of them and honestly they annoy me a lot which is why I picked them for their upcoming roles ;).<p>

P.S. I couldn't find Senna's last name so I gave her a random one.

As always thanks for the feedback and for adding this story to your faves/alerts. **=D**


	32. Chapter 32

Hi everyone! Sorry this update took even longer than usual :(. I have a ridiculous amount of homework and on top of that I have to do required observation hours for one of my classes (not to mention I still have to keep up w/my life outside of school lol). I'm not sure when I will be able to update again because I have a lot of big school projects coming up too but in case I have to put the story on hold for a bit I'll let you guys know.

Also, thanks **OnepieceX3, Jesusloveskids59, TingBlingKing, falconrukichi, and darkassassin619** for your lovely reviews **=D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 32<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

****Tropics in the SS Bar****

The testosterone-bursting group of shinigami sat at a long rectangular table at one of their favorite bars in the Seireitei, a Hawaiian themed bar. It had plastic yellow and orange tropical flowers everywhere, tiki torches, and the waitresses wore similar flowery tropical skimpy outfits. Overall, the place had a laid back ambiance regardless of the weird decorum which was very relaxing given Ichigo's stressful day. He looked around and smiled to himself when he realized he had never been out drinking with a whole bunch of guys like this in the Soul Society since he had ived there. It reminded him a bit of back when he used to go out drinking with his human friends in Tokyo. He wasn't too big on sake but he took a sip savoring the drink as he reminisced.

"So what did you two argue about?" Renji asked.

"Kain" Ichigo said dully.

"What did the scum do this time?" The redhead asked.

"_He_ didn't do anything. _Rukia_ decided to have lunch with him today." Ichigo said annoyed as he recalled his wife sitting happily next to the man. Renji started choking on his sake ungraciously.

"She whaaat! What the heck was she thinking…." Renji said shaking his head in disbelief. Ichigo nodded and gave him a knowing look.

"What are you two ladies gossiping about over there?" Ikkaku inquired from across the table.

"Ichigo is probably just sad because he misses his wife" Hisagi said chiming in.

"I'm not!" Ichigo said with a scowl.

"I was being serious!" Hisagi replied offended.

"That's why he needs to hang out with men more often!" Iba yelled putting in his two cents in the matter.

"He hangs out with me, I'm a man!" Renji replied immediately feeling offended.

The lively group of shinigami continued bickering and making fun of Ichigo and Renji for a while longer. Ichigo had stopped listening to their jives long ago but found it funny how he always ended up being the one to be teased regardless of whether it was in the world of the living or in soul society. He was happy to have Renji around though because now he wasn't the only one being teased.

"Oohhh yeaahhh!" Hisagi said happily and everyone sitting at the table turned to see him.

"These two hot chicks that just graduated from the academy are meeting me here." He said proudly.

"This was supposed to be a guys-only night!" Iba said.

"Well I can't turn them down now, can I?" Hisagi said.

"How nice of you…" Kira said sarcastically.

"I bet they're not even cute." Renji chimed in.

"Probably not beautiful at all…" Yumichika mumbled.

"Alright cut it out they're here!" Hisagi said and got up to greet them. He then walked them over to the table and introduced them to his group of friends.

"Oh hi Kurosaki taichou!" Senna and Nozomi said in unison with matching smiles when Hisagi got to the orange-haired taichou. Ichigo waved and forced a smile hoping they wouldn't come near him. He wasn't in the mood to be socializing with people he didn't know.

As the night progressed the sake continued to flow around. Ichigo gave in and drank up with the rest of the group; it wasn't every day that he went out anyway. A few hours later he was finally feeling the effects of the sake and was starting to get whiny and melancholic.

"I don't think you should be drinking anymore…" Renji said with a frown. He held his liquor better than Ichigo and could clearly tell the guy was drunk. He decided it would be a good idea to just call it a night and head out. He didn't like babysitting when he went out and that's exactly what he felt he was doing with Ichigo at the moment. He got up and headed to the washroom before leaving the bar.

* * *

><p>"She's sooo gahhhh… she knows I…hate the idiot…" Ichigo rambled incoherently to no one in particular as he sat at the table, "and then…Chibigo…sorry...Rukia…love you…" he started closing his eyes and dozing off. He was even about to hit his head on the table a few times.<p>

Nozomi was chatting away with Hisagi but since Senna didn't care for anyone else in the bar besides Ichigo she was sitting next to them bored out of her mind. She noticed Ichigo's condition and took this as an opportunity to get close to him. She got up from her seat and scooted over next to the drunk taichou.

"Are you ok taichou? Maybe you've had too much to drink…" She said and Ichigo reflexively leaned his head on her shoulder. She put an arm around him and stared at his face. His eyes were closed and he was frowning slightly but his handsome features were as clear as day. One of her hands made its way to his hair as she gently played with the unruly spikes. Her face was inches away from his but he was too drunk to notice.

"Oh shit!" Renji said when he noticed the scene. Clearly the girl had a crush on his friend so he hurried to the table.

"T-t-thanks I got him from here…" Renji said awkwardly.

"Right! I noticed he was losing his balance so I came to help him out." Senna said with a fake innocent tone.

"Alright…thanks." Renji said and put Ichigo's arm around his shoulder to help him up. He waved goodbye to everyone and walked out with an inebriated Ichigo.

On a secluded table not too visible to the rest of the bar, Matsumoto sat surprised as she sipped on her drink. She was out on a date when she caught an eyeful of the situation unfolding between Senna and Ichigo. _'That little tramp. I wonder what Rukia-chan would say if she knew…'_ She thought.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kurosaki home**<strong>

It was late at night and Rukia had put Ichiro to bed long ago. She was laying on the futon unable to go to sleep. She missed Ichigo's warmth and his strong arms around her. She had sensed Ichigo's reiatsu by Renji's so she knew he was fine. She noticed it was fluctuating quite a bit but she figured it must be because of their argument which she felt very guilty about. _'Ichigo is a great husband and father even if he is an overprotective and jealous fool. Maybe I can make it up to him somehow…' _Rukia thought as she dozed off.

* * *

><p><strong>**6<strong>**th**** Division barracks****

Renji wasn't sure whether Rukia would throw a fit if he brought her very drunk husband back home at three in the morning but just in case he decided to take Ichigo to his place. He didn't want to deal with any of the drama especially because he was on Ichigo's side on this one; he also hated Kain with all his guts.

The morning came in the blink of an eye. Renji groggily got up, told Ichigo to get up and then headed to the shower. When he came back to his room refreshed and ready to go he noticed the orange-haired taichou was still sleeping away.

"Oi Ichigo! You're going to be late idiot!" Renji yelled as he pulled Ichigo's shoulder back and forth.

"Be quiet…" Ichigo mumbled and tried to continue his slumber.

Renji rolled his eyes. He realized he wasn't going to get the man to get up so he went to get a large glass of cold water and threw it on Ichigo's face.

"What the…what the hell is your problem Rukia!" Ichigo said as he sprung up. He then looked around, realized he wasn't home and then looked up to meet Renji's humored face.

"You moron." Renji said laughing at the confused Ichigo. "We have to get going or else we'll both be late."

Ichigo got up and headed out the door feeling like crap. He wasn't used to drinking anymore and to top it off he had to go to work, not to mention he didn't get to take a shower or eat breakfast.

The two men were walking in the hallway when they felt a familiar reiatsu. Unfortunately, the owner of said reiatsu was already walking toward them….

"Kurosaki Ichigo" Byakuya said through clenched teeth, his probing eyes taking in a disheveled and hung-over Ichigo.

"Byakuya" Ichigo said dully as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm not in the mood so don't even start with me. Renji thanks for letting me stay over, I'll see you later." Ichigo said with a hoarse voice. He gave Byakuya one last look and then clumsily shunpoed away.

"Abarai" Byakuya said coldly meeting his nervous fukutaichou's eyes, "meet me at the office after training." He said and continued heading to his destination.

_'What. the. hell. Freaking Ichigo you owe me big time…'_ Renji thought. He knew his taichou was going to chew him out even if he had nothing to do with both of his friends' drama.

* * *

><p><strong>**13<strong>**th ****division****

Rukia's day had started off rather uneventful. She took Ichiro to his school and made sure to wave to Kain but _not_ to chat with him. When she got to work she was in a happy mood and was looking forward to lunch time. She had thought of a way to fix things up with Ichigo. She was going to get lunch and surprise him at his office so they could spend some quality time together. As soon as she was able to she dashed out of her division and headed to Ichigo's office.

* * *

><p><strong>**5<strong>**th**** division****

Ichigo was at his desk still feeling the effects of last night. He was glad Momo didn't ask any questions and offered to train with the squad. There wasn't much to do today so he was able to take it slow. He had his head down on the desk. He was feeling very guilty for walking out on Rukia and not going home. He missed her and Ichiro. He was brought out of his depressing thoughts when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said and put his head up.

"Hi taichou I just wanted to see how you were feeling after last night." Senna said closing the door behind her.

"I'm fine thanks…how do you like our squad so far?" Ichigo asked trying to change the subject.

"I love it, thank you. I was practicing with Hinamori fukutaichou earlier and she said she really liked my zanpakuto, maybe we should train together sometime?" Senna asked.

"Yyyeah…" Ichigo said with discomfort in his voice as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you ok taichou?" Senna asked with wide eyes.

"I'm fine I think I just slept wrong last night because my neck hurts a bit." Ichigo responded.

"Oh let me see!" She said and walked over to the young man. She quickly positioned herself behind him and started giving him a neck massage. "I give the best massages." She said and continued working her hands on him.

"T-t-thanks but I don't think you should-" Ichigo didn't get a chance to finish when his office door opened yet again.

"Ichigo!" Rukia said shocked when she noticed her husband's intimate and compromising position with some girl she had never seen.

"R-r-rukia!" Ichigo said, quickly getting up from his seat. Senna simply stepped behind her taichou's chair trying to contain her joy at the series of events.

"So I guess I don't need to feel guilty for last night's argument, do I?" Rukia said sternly as she looked at him with angry violet eyes.

"What are you talking about? This isn't what it looks like!" Ichigo said as he walked to her. He tried to reach out for her.

"Don't touch me!" She said angrily, "and don't follow me either." She said looking deeply into his desperate brown eyes. As she turned around to walk away she felt an aching pain in her heart and felt sick to her stomach. She tried to stay strong and keep any tears from falling down her face. She wanted to believe Ichigo because she knew he loved her in her heart but she was finding it very hard to not believe her eyes.

Ichigo's heart was aching just as bad at seeing his petite wife walk away from him. He was an idiot. His jealousy had been the cause of yesterday's argument and now he had been caught in an…odd position due to his naivety. Zangetsu was definitely going to be feeling the rain today.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

Rukia left work early to pick up a few things from her house before picking up Ichiro. Afterwards, she decided to go stay at her brother's mansion instead of going home. She wasn't ready to deal with her marriage problems and she also wanted the comfort of her protective brother.

"Nii-sama I'm sorry for the short notice, I hope this isn't an inconvenience." Rukia said to her brother during dinner.

"Rukia, please remember that this will _always_ be your home." Byakuya said trying to keep composed and not let his happiness show. He was very happy his sister truested him enough to come back when she needed him. "Besides, I was wondering when you were going to bring Ichiro. I believe it is healthy for him to see his uncle on a regular basis." He said with a small smile.

"Yes nii-sama, thank you." Rukia said feeling relieved and continued eating.

Byakuya was happy to have his nephew and sister back home if only for a few days, but he sure wasn't happy with a certain orange-haired young man. He had gotten enough information out of Renji to know the next time the two met would not be the most pleasant of times.

* * *

><p>Hi again! I hope you guys liked the chapter. It was kind of angsty and full of drama but the next one will have lots of IchiRuki fluff ;).<p>

Anyway, if you're still keeping up with this story (and you like it) please review. Your reviews are inspiring and make me a happy writer...not to mention they motivate me to update sooner **=D**


	33. Chapter 33

Thank you **OnepieceX3****, ****JazANIME-OtakuChick****, **and **darkassassin619 **for your awesome and lovely reviews **=D** and **ichigorukia656****, ****MJ-RaM'XD****, ****34121**, **BlackRedWhite**, and **Lovedub **for adding this story to your faves/alerts! **:)**

**Notice:** There are no lemons in this chapter but like usual certain things are implied **;).**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 33<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

The rest of Ichigo's day went by as lousy as it had been so far. When he went back in his office Senna put on her best act and apologized for her actions. Ichigo nodded and sent her off to do a random task that would keep her away from him for the rest of the day. He was deep in his self-loathing mind to spare the girl any thought.

After work, the gloomy captain of the fifth division headed home. As he approached the home he didn't come back to the night before he noticed he couldn't feel Rukia's reiatsu inside but he still had a glimmer of hope. That hope was killed when he opened the large wooden door to a dark and empty place. A slight frown made its way to his tan face as he walked to the couch and plopped on it. He not only missed Rukia but little Ichiro as well. He missed his bright orange mop of hair and innocent violet eyes looking into his. It had been a long day and although he wasn't physically tired he was extremely exhausted from all the thinking he had been doing. He decided to get up and headed to take a shower.

After his shower Ichigo headed to his and Rukia's room. He laid on the futon, but as he laid there Rukia's scent overtook his senses. It took him less than five minutes to realize he was giving up too easily into despair. He remembered about everything they had to go through to be together, and compared to that, this was nothing. He knew of the only place Rukia would go with Ichiro in tow and even if his confidence wasn't as high as it should be, he headed to that place.

* * *

><p><strong>**Kuchiki Mansion**<strong>

Rukia and Byakuya were at the mansion having tea –and cookies for Ichiro- when the servant announced the arrival of a visitor. Byakuya waved the servants off to get said visitor.

"Kain?" Byakuya said the man's name as he eyed him skeptically walking towards the room.

"I come in peace. I noticed Rukia was looking a little under the weather when she picked up Ichiro from school and like the good friend that I vowed to be I came to offer her a friendly ear." He said.

"How did you know I was here?" Rukia asked as she looked up from her cup of tea.

"Well after you picked up Ichiro and walked out of the building I noticed you didn't head the usual way you do to go to your home, so when I continued observing I noticed you were headed to your brother's mansion." Kain said matter-of-factly.

"You _stalked_ her?" Byakuya asked in a mocking tone as he pictured the grown man doing so.

"No! I simply noticed were she was heading!" Kain said quickly.

"Same thing" Rukia said unsurprised. "Anyway, why don't you put Kazuki down so he can have some cookies with Ichiro." Rukia said as her eyes softened at the little guy Kain was holding.

"Thanks." Kain said at the offer and sat Kazuki next to Ichiro. He was a few months younger than Ichiro, had black straight hair in a bowl cut and his father's expressive black eyes.

Byakuya asked the servant for a cup of tea for the new guest. After the children were done with their cookies they started getting restless.

"Ooojiiiisaaan!" Ichiro said with the cutest voice possible as he got up and clumsily walked to his uncle.

"Ichiro" Byakuya said as he took the little orange haired boy into his arms.

Kain noticed the tender nature brought out from Byakuya by the little boy and couldn't help but smile; he had never seen that side of Byakuya.

Ichiro then started playing with his uncle's hair and kenseikan. Byakuya simply let him as he kept his poise demeanor.

"Would you like me to take the boys to Ichiro's playroom Kurosaki-sama?" A servant asked Rukia.

"That would be lovely. Is that ok Kain?" Rukia asked.

"Yes I'm sure Kazuki would like that very much." The noble said.

After the servant took the children to play Byakuya received notice from a messenger that he was needed at his division. The noble excused himself and left, leaving Rukia and Kain alone in the tea room. Rukia still wasn't feeling in a good mood so to break the gloomy air around them she decided to take a walk in the gardens with Kain.

The coolness of the night air was very welcoming. Rukia and Kain walked a few minutes quietly until Kain broke the silence.

"Would I be intruding if I asked what happened?" He asked as they walked on the cobble path.

"Ichigo and I haven't been getting along and every little misunderstanding just keeps pilling on." Rukia said as she rubbed one of her elegant white Kuchiki gloves with her hand. She didn't want to tell Kain that the reason of their initial argument was him.

"Do you love him any less?" Kain asked as a sudden gush of wind played with his silky straight black hair.

"No." Rukia said firmly.

Kain gave a small chuckle and then said, "Well that's all that matters."

They continued walking in the garden when the path finally led them to Rukia's favorite wooden bench. They sat down and stared at the big white and silver moon. Kain took a deep breath before speaking again.

"It's only truly painful when the love is gone….or when it was never there. Although I am grateful to have a wife that has helped me fulfill my clan's duties and given me the greatest joy by giving me an heir, we don't love each other. I can see it in her eyes…how much she's tried, and she can see it in mine. Sadly we married because of duty and not love."

When Kain was done with his speech Rukia couldn't help but feel sorry for the man sitting next to her, it was as if he was a completely different person from before.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said with pure honesty.

"It's ok. I've accepted it. My responsibilities as the head of my clan had to catch up to me sometime, right?" Kain said with a crooked smile.

* * *

><p><strong>**Outside the mansion**<strong>

Byakuya headed home as he thought about how much he hated the incompetence some of the men in his division had. Why couldn't they have bothered Renji instead of him? That Abarai was probably out drinking somewhere and since the messenger couldn't find him he probably just ended up going to the mansion instead. He wouldn't have cared any other day, but because Ichiro and Rukia were at the mansion he wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. He was around the corner deep in thought when he was met with yet another annoyance.

"Byakuya." Ichigo said as he crossed the man.

"Kurosaki." Byakuya said raising an eyebrow. Byakuya would still call him by his last name whenever he was on bad terms with the shinigami.

"I came to see Rukia." Ichigo stated simply. He was in no mood for drama. Byakuya could see how worn out Ichigo looked but unfortunately, as Rukia's protective older brother it was his duty to make the man suffer even if it just a bit.

"I see." He said as a shadow of a smile graced his elegant features. "Before I left I believe she was having tea with Kain."

Ichigo's anger started boiling up quickly at the mention of the man's name. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He felt for Rukia's reiatsu and shunpoed in a blur leaving a surprised Byakuya standing in the street.

* * *

><p><strong>**The Kuchiki gardens**<strong>

Rukia was in midsentence when Ichigo appeared in front of them, his captain's cape waving in the air. His face was adorned with a deep scowl as his jealousy overtook him yet again. Rukia also wore a stern expression as she looked at her husband equally angry. Her eyes traveled from his beautiful angry brown eyes to his broad shoulders and she was reminded yet again of that random girl rubbing them.

"What are you doing here?" She said coldly not moving from the bench she was sitting on.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Ichigo said dismissing her previous question, his stare still locked on her violet eyes.

"Why so angry? It's not like you came and interrupted anything improper!" Rukia said angrily and stood up.

"That was a misunderstanding. I was about to tell her to stop what she was doing when you showed up!" Ichigo said agitated.

"I'm sorry to get in the middle but you two need to calm down." Kain finally said as he stepped in between the quarreling duo and laid a hand softly on Rukia's shoulder.

Ichigo's eyes shot straight to said hand and he quickly pulled Rukia towards him.

"Mind your own business and finally get it through your thick skull that _I_ don't like _you_ being around _my_ wife!" He said sending dagger eyes at Kain.

"_You_ are not the boss of _me_. _I_ can talk to whoever _I_ want whenever _I_ want!" Rukia said putting an elegant hand on her hip and pointing at her husband's chest with the other.

The three stood in an awkward silence when suddenly Ichigo got an evil idea as he remembered why he came. He was mad at Kain, mad at Byakuya, and most importantly wanted to teach Rukia a lesson. In a flash he brought her in his arms and shunpoed to his perfect destination.

* * *

><p>Rukia looked around confused and surprised when she noticed Ichigo had led them to the Kuchiki library.<p>

"What is your problem you jerk? !" She said walking away from him when he finally put her down.

"My problem is that I've had enough of this…" He said as he walked towards her, "we went through so much crap to be together and I'm not going to let some idiots ruin it." Ichigo said. He was now very close to a still fuming Rukia.

Rukia was about to turn around and walk away from his intimidating presence when she noticed her back hit a large wooden table behind her. Ichigo took this to his advantage. He pressed his hard body on hers, snaked his hands around her waist and leaned down to kiss her passionately. Rukia tried to push him off at first (even if she was enjoying her husband's unexpected kiss), but when she noticed he wasn't budging she started kissing him back with that same passion.

As they shared their affection for one another they realized how stupid they had been to think that either of them would do anything to hurt the other. They had a bond that no one could ever break.

They were soul mates.

When Ichigo noticed Rukia relaxing and responding to his kiss, he became more tender and gentle with his kisses. He lifted Rukia's small frame and sat her gently on the wooden table. He then started brushing her soft neck with his warm lips. Rukia shivered slightly at the feeling and tangled her fingers in his hair as she pressed him closer to her. One of Ichigo's hands started traveling to Rukia's side and the other tangled on her soft black hair. Rukia slid her hands from his hair to his shoulders and started trailing the front of his kimono. She looked up with glimmering violet eyes, gave him a playful smile and opened the clothing to reveal his muscular frame. She let his captain's cape and kimono clumsily fall on the wooden floor. She then proceeded to run her hands up his abs, chest, and arms until she reached his shoulders and leaned him closer to her. She started nibbling on his bottom lip, his jaw, and down his neck.

Their affectionate actions were getting too heated and apparently Rukia seemed to be unaware of their location. Ichigo laughed inwardly when he realized what was about to happen as Rukia pulled him closer to her but didn't stop it.

...

Rukia's bare back was now pressed against the desk; she wore nothing but her Kuchiki gloves (per her playful husband's request). Ichigo was hovering above her with sweat glistening on his toned and muscular body letting out a few days of unexpressed love for his wife. When they had finally reached the conclusion of their actions he leaned down to kiss her gently as they both whispered sweet nothings to each other.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile in another part of the mansion…<strong>

Byakuya was in his room with little Ichiro. Kain had left _long, long_ ago with his son. By their fluctuating reiatsus, the noble had an idea of just _what_ was happening. It disturbed him deeply but if it wasn't because they were already married, Byakuya would have senbonzakura'd Ichigo on the spot. He frowned and made a mental note to not go in the library before the servants had thoroughly cleaned every spot of it.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Did you guys liked the hot and fluffy reunion of our favorite couple? **;)**. I took breaks from my homework and cooked up this chapter whenever I had a chance to let out some stress. Just to give you guys a heads up the end of this story will either happen in the following chapter or the next.

I'm soo happy because tomorrow is my bday and I'm going out tonight to have some fun. Yay! :) Anyway, enjoy your weekend and hope you guys liked the chappy :p


	34. Chapter 34

**Hi everyone,**

Thank you** hitsugayatoshirou1220, OnepieceX3, Shie0917, BlackRedWhite, JazANIME-OtakuChick, **and** Darkassassin619 **for the awesome reviews and **Daro-NB**, **OnepieceX3**, and **Bleach** **ichiruki** for adding this story to your faves/alerts **:)**.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 34<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>**Soul Society**<strong>

**Five months later…**

It was a chilly Saturday morning in the Kurosaki home. A still sleeping orange-haired taichou held his now pregnant wife carefully in his embrace as he dreamed away. Rukia begun shifting from her warm and comfortable spot and opened her violet eyes lazily. She was just as sleepy as her husband but the most important thing for her as soon as she awoke was eating a delicious array of any and every food available currently at her home.

"Ichigo." She called sweetly as she looked up to see his face.

Unfazed, Ichigo continued sleeping and only cuddled onto Rukia's small body and baby bump even more.

"I-chi-go." She sounded every syllable slowly but with a little less patience.

"mmh?" He finally responded still with his eyes closed.

"I'm hungry." She said.

"Five minutes…" He mumbled as he nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck and started rubbing her belly gently. He was very compliant of Rukia's needs when she was pregnant but the coolness of the morning was making it very hard from him to get up from his cozy spot.

A vain popped by Rukia's head, his sweet caresses would not deter her from what was truly important. She was now positioning herself to either kick her lazy husband on the shin or get into hungry-pregnant-lady mode when the baby beat her to it. It started fluttering and moving about in her belly and Ichigo instantly jumped up and pressed his ear on said belly. He then kissed it gently, moved his glassy brown eyes up to meet his wife's violet ones, gave her a cute little smile, kissed her quickly on the forehead and without a word got up to make breakfast.

….

"They're coming here! Why?" Ichigo said grumpily as he stuffed his mouth with eggs.

"I offered for them to have the meeting here. Nii-sama recently upped the security at the mansion and they can no longer have their meetings there. Besides…they said they would bring a lot of snacks." Rukia said sheepishly.

"Fine, but just so you know I'm going out with Ichiro before they get here…the meetings of the Women's Shinigami Association are only good for those nosey women to keep tabs on everyone." He said with a scowl.

Rukia rolled her eyes and wondered if Ichigo had always had such low patience for the innocent group of women she associated herself with. As she stared at him eating and interacting with Ichiro she smiled to herself. Ichigo had definitely adapted to life in Soul Society. He even fit in perfectly with the rest of the macho shinigami that _he_ hung out with.

"Snacks?...I want to stay otousan!" Ichiro whined and Ichigo gave him a slightly surprised look feeling guilty for bad-mouthing his mother's friends. He had forgotten his son was at that age in which he payed attention to what everyone said.

"Ichiro, the snacks are for your mom and her friends. How about I take you out for lunch with Renji and we get some cool snacks then?" Ichigo said with a wide smile.

"Ok…but can oji-san come too?" Ichiro said with deer eyes as he looked at his father. He was very close to Byakuya and loved spending time with him. Ichigo was forced to keep his smile from falling off his once happy face. He didn't really want to spend any more time with his brother in law then needed but it appeared that he didn't have a choice.

"That's a great idea Ichiro! I'm sure nii-sama would love to spend time with you and your father as well!" Rukia smiled devilishly as her husband's oh-so-common scowl formed on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day…<strong>

"I still can't believe he knocked you up again! Congrats Rukia-chan!" Matsumoto said happily as she set some sweets down on the table.

"T-thanks." Rukia said slightly embarrassed at Rangiku's choice of words but she quickly forgot as soon as she got her hands on the sweets laid in front of her.

"I bet Bya-kun is going to be very happy to be an uncle again! He's nicer and always has extra candy at home since Ichiro got here. He doesn't get as mad when I play at his house either!" Yachiru said in an informative tone.

"Nii-sama was happy when he heard the news but he didn't seem too surprised." Rukia said as she continued eating. Luckily for her, Byakuya saved her the embarrassment of bringing up the fact that he knew what they did in his beloved but now tainted library.

"So what ever happened to that pesky girl who was trying to seduce Kurosaki taichou?" Kiyone asked rather carefree.

"Senna? She was transferred to a different squad but since she didn't really take her responsibilities seriously she was kicked out and was too embarrassed to show her face around here again." Momo answered.

"Ha! That's what she gets for trying to mess with someone else's man." Matsumoto said with scrunched up eyebrows.

"And her friend the one with the green hair?" Kiyone inquired some more.

"Kujo stayed in our division a bit longer but after her father Kageroza got sick she had to leave the squad to tend to him and never returned." Momo said.

"Well at least everything worked out at the end!" Isane said with a smile.

"I still find it hard to believe Kurosaki can attract so much female attention" Soi Fon said crossing her arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

Renji, Ichigo and Ichiro finally made it to the mansion. The servants lead them to the waiting room and a few minutes later Byakuya came to said room.

"Oji-san!" Ichiro ran to his uncle as soon as he saw him.

"Hello, Ichiro." Byakuya said and kneeled to receive the little boy's hug as a small smile made its way to his lips. He could never resist Ichiro nor help himself from smiling at the happy boy.

"Good afternoon taichou!" Renji said with a cheesy smile.

"Yo, Byakuya." Ichigo said in a monotone voice, "Renji, Ichiro and I are going to get lunch and Ichiro wanted to invite you." Ichigo finished with his arms crossed.

"You're coming, right oji-san?" Ichiro said looking at his uncle with a twinkle in his violet eyes. Byakuya simply nodded. He didn't particularly care to spend his afternoon with his goofy fukutaichou and his brash brother in law but he could never turn Ichiro down.

"What place did you have in mind?" Byakuya asked Ichigo.

"Nothing fancy, Renji knows of this laidback place that sells onigri, it's supposed to be very good." Ichigo said.

Byakuya stared at Ichigo blankly as he processed the idea. He was almost sure that whatever Renji suggested would not be to his liking so he immediately nixed the idea.

"I think it would be better if Ichiro went to a place guaranteed to be sanitary in which the food will not only be edible but enjoyable, but most importantly a place in which the ambiance will be pleasant and refined." Byakuya finished leaving little room for discussion. Ichigo restrained himself from saying anything embarassing in front of Ichiro and wondered if he would have been better off putting up with the nosey women at his home.

* * *

><p><strong>A fancy restaurant in the Seireitei…<strong>

"Good afternoon Kuchiki-sama" A pretty hostess greeted. She then eyed the little orange-haired boy he was holding hands with and almost melted, "Hello little one, you are just sooo cute!" She said and gave Ichiro a big smile.

"Good afternoon." The noble finally greeted the woman.

"Hello there!" Renji said trying to get the hostess attention with a smooth tone.

"Good afternoon." The hostess said uninterested and proceeded to continue ogling the Kuchiki noble. Ichigo rolled his eyes wondering why his red-haired friend even tried.

...

"Hope you enjoy your meal." The hostess said looking dreamily into Byakuya's eyes when she seated the group of men at their table.

Ichiro sat next to Byakuya as he looked happily out the big window and watched the people walking by. Renji sat next to a scowling and grumpy Ichigo as he looked around the elegant restaurant. He was happy that since his taichou chose the place he would be footing the bill. He had always wondered about this place but knew the price was not in his comfort zone.

"So how's your weekend so far taichou?" Renji asked nervously trying to break the awkward silence.

"Fine." He said simply. "How is yours? Did you go back to the office earlier today to finish the leftover paperwork from yesterday?" Byakuya asked as he sipped on his tea.

"uuhh I was about to head there when Ichigo came by and invited me to lunch…" Renji said as tiny sweat drops developed on his forehead.

"I see." The noble said and chose to drop the subject before he senbonzakura'd his right-hand.

"So you excited about being an uncle again taichou?" Renji asked trying to change the subject.

"Yes." Byakuya answered while glaring heatedly at Ichigo letting him know he knew just _where_the baby was conceived. Ichigo simply gave him a cocky smirk. Knowing that Byakuya knew about his and Rukia's rendezvous brightened his day considerably. After noticing the icy aura that now surrounded the table Renji wondered how he never failed to pick the worst subjects possible.

The food came shortly after and the group ate with little conversation in between except for when the talkative Ichiro got his uncle's attention.

* * *

><p><strong>**Six years later**<strong>

The sun was shining and the day was comfortably warm in Soul Society. The sky was a light blue with a few scattered plushy clouds. Everything was silent aside from the clattering of a pair of wooden swords. Ichigo was training with the now eight year old Ichiro.

A large red blanket was spread out on a grassy hill overlooking the father and son. Under the comfortable shade of a large tree, Rukia sat with her back against the trunk as she read her favorite manga. Byakuya sat next to his sister on an oversized red cushion as he carefully analyzed Ichiro's training, his eyes moving from side to side as he eyed the wooden swords. Next to them, a black haired little girl laid on her belly as she colored away, her legs flinging back and forth. She was five years old and was an exact copy of Rukia except for her deep brown eyes. Her hair was currently up in two ponytails, a few black bangs falling loosely framing her round face.

"Okasan look!" Rukia looked up in the direction her daughter was pointing and saw the Kurosaki family approaching the grassy hill.

"Yuzuki!" Isshin yelled with his arms open as he ran to his granddaughter.

"Ojii-san!" She said exited dropping her color markers aside and running down to meet her grandfather's embrace.

"Oh my beautiful granddaughter I missed you so much!" Isshin said as he twirled the little girl around and playfully messed with her hair.

"Ojii-san how could you have missed me if you saw me a few days ago?" Yuzuki asked as she fixed her hair.

"Don't bother trying to understand him Yuzuki, goat face here is a strange one." Karin said pointing to her father.

"I'm happy you guys could make it, thanks for coming." Rukia said with a smile.

"Thanks for inviting us. Now that we're done with school we can come more often." Yuzu said as she placed a basket with food on the blanket and hugged Rukia.

"Wanna go play with the ball?" Karin asked Yuzuki after greeting Rukia and Byakuya. She nodded and proceeded to go play with her aunts.

Isshin took a seat next to Byakuya and also watched as Ichigo practiced with Ichiro. He quickly glanced at Byakuya and thought it was strange how even when sitting on a blanket out at a picnic Byakuya could still keep his elegant posture.

…

"No fair!" Ichiro said with a pout as he began to chase after his father, his wooden sword hanging limply on his hand.

"If I went easy on you it wouldn't be any fun!" Ichigo said as he ran away from the little orange-head with ease. He loved training with his son but liked challenging him. Unfortunately, Ichiro had inherited his temper and would get extremely angry at not being able to beat his father.

Ichiro suddenly stopped the endless chase, his violet orbs staring deeply into his father's deep brown eyes. He proceeded to smile wide and mischeviously. Ichigo raised an eyebrow wondering what his son was up to when…

"Okasaaaaan! Otousan is being mean to me!" Ichiro yelled at the top of his lungs full of emotion. With that, Rukia put her manga to the side, stood up from her comfortable spot and proceeded to walk down the grassy hill. Byakuya and Isshin simply looked at each other and continued to watch the events unfold.

"What's going on?" She said putting one of her small hands on her waist as she approached the two orange heads.

Ichiro gave his father one quick smile before his eyes turned watery. He then looked up to Rukia with a cute pout and said, "Otousan was not being fair okasan…he was being a bully!"

"Is that so?" Rukia said as she looked at her husband.

"Ha! Ichiro is just as good of an actor as you…but anyway Ichiro, you know I'm stronger than your mother so why bother asking _her_ for help?" Ichigo said with a smirk taunting his fukutaichou wife.

Without hesitation Rukia shunpoed towards Ichigo and tried to kick his shin but he had already shunpoed away.

"Told you!" Ichigo said as he chuckled away. He continued to taunt Rukia until she suddenly stopped chasing her playful husband and stood next to Ichiro. Ichigo stared at his wife and wondered what was going on as a dark smirk appeared on her face.

"Watch this Ichiro." She said firmly and from where she was chanted a restraining kido. The unexpecting Ichigo's arms went to his back and he fell to his knees. Rukia proceeded to finally and victoriously kick him on the shin.

"Whaa….you!" Ichigo yelled unable to rub his now aching chin.

"You might be stronger than me but I'll always have my own ways of keeping you in check." Rukia said pleased with herself giving him a kiss on the cheek. She then proceeded to head back to her spot with a grinning Ichiro.

Byakuya was unable to restrain a small chuckle while Isshin immediately went to take advantage of his son's misfortune by running down to tease and tickle him. Ichigo quickly broke the binding spell and the two Kurosaki men began wrestling on the grass.

…

Yuzu and Rukia set the food neatly on the blanket. When everything was ready the family gathered around and began eating.

Byakuya looked around until his eyes fell on Rukia. Although his face would never show it he could die today and die a happy man because he knew she had found true happiness. In the eyes of many Ichigo could be a taichou, a hero, or anything anyone could think of, but in the eyes of Byakuya he was simply the man his sister loved and the only man capable enough of protecting and keeping her happy with the love he gave her in the strangest and most unconvetional ways only he could.

Isshin caught Byakuya in deep thought and a smirk soon adorned his face. He too was truly joyful for his son's happiness. With Rukia in his life, the deep void that once prevented Ichigo from loving life was finally gone. Time and time again Rukia had shown with actions just how much Ichigo meant to her. The way he responded to her love was undeniable. And so, in Isshin's eyes, Rukia was not a Kuchiki, a hard-working fukutaichou, or anything else she might be to anyone else. To him, she was simply the woman who had brought his son back from the darkness and given him the greatest joys he always hoped his son would experience.

...

A small breeze blew on the grassy hill were the family sat. Isshin and Ichigo suddenly started bickering about one thing or the other. Karin rolled her eyes and instead focused her attention on her niece and nephew. Yuzu sweat dropped and instead of telling them to stop she started rambling about how delicious the food was while Byakuya elegantly agreed. Rukia quickly elbowed her husband efficiently shutting him up_ -and receiving a thumbs up from her father in law-_ and the whole family continued enjoying their meal.

No form of hollow, Aizen, or any other sort of past (or future) manipulation would break their bonds. Destiny had brought them together and although the future would forever be mysterious and uncertain the bonds they had built could never be broken.

* * *

><p><strong>-*I-*-I-*-The end-*-I-*-I*-<strong>

Hello!

Yes, the ending was sugary sweet but that's the way I like it…I can only dream (and write) hehe….well hope you guys enjoyed the story and thanks to everyone who reviewed, added it your faves/alerts, and also to everyone else out there who read it at their discretion lol **=D.**

Take care everyone!** :)**

Note: I chose to name Rukia and Ichigo's daughter Yuzuki because it's cute and it means "tender moon" in Japanese.


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